sii 


l«i 

i  iiii!  iiiiiHi  if  ; 


<^-//> 


146  fAH  1) 


. 

L 


THE    GOLDEN    TALISMAN 


"HE  QUICKLY  TOOK  THE  GOLDEN  BOTTLE  FROM  HIS  NECK." 


THE 


GOLDEN   TALISMAN 


BY 

H.    PHELPS   WHITMARSH 

AUTHOR   OF  "THE  WORLD'S    ROUGH    HAND,"   ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED  BY 

H.  BURGESS 


BOSTON  AND  CHICAGO 
W.  A.  WILDE   COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT,  1899, 
BY  W.  A.  WILDE  &  COMPANY, 

All  rights  reserved. 
THE  GOLDEN  TALISMAN 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

PROLOGUE         9 

I.  THE  EXPEDITION 14 

II.  THE  MYSTERIOUS  KINGDOM  ....  28 

III.  THE  ROSE  GARDENS 50 

IV.  A  DANGEROUS  JOURNEY         ....  95 
V.  THE  ATTACK  AND  ESCAPE     ....  120 

VI.  THE  FESMVAL  OF  MI-CAREME      .        .        .140 

VII.  NEW  FRIENDS 168 

VIII.  FORTUNE  FROWNS    ......    195 

IX.  FORTUNE  SMILES 215 

X.  THE  GARDEN  OF  THE  EAST   ....     223 

XI.  THE  FRIENDSHIP  OF  CHAN  Fou    .        .        .239 

XII.  INTO  THE  FORBIDDEN  COUNTRY     .        .        .    250 

XIII.  THE  GRAND  LAMA 268 

XIV.  WINNING  THE  PRINCESS         .        .        .        .294 

6 


2047046 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 


"  He  quickly  took  the  golden  bottle  from  his 

neck " Frontispiece      42 

"  Strange  and  weird  it  seemed,  lighted  by  the 

flickering  torch "  .         .        .        .         .        .63 

" '  See  the  beds  of   roses,   and  there  are  the 

violets'"      .        .        .        .        .        .        .     164 

"« Steady,  now,  Johnny,  boy '"         ..        .        .218 
7 


THE  GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 


PROLOGUE. 

IN  the  wild,  mountainous  district  of  Cen- 
tral Asia,  where  the  great  chains  of  the 
Himalaya  and  Kuen-lem  mountains  join, 
stretches  a  broad  plateau.  It  is  walled  in 
by  nature,  and  guarded  by  giant  peaks 
lifting  their  white  heads  toward  heaven  like 
eternal  sentinels.  Though  beset  on  all  sides 
by  savage  and  rapacious  tribes  of  hill-men, 
this  beautiful  expanse  of  almost  level  coun- 
try, known  as  Kaffiristan,  has  no  need  of 
force  of  arms  to  protect  its  independence; 
for  by  one  pass  only  can  entrance  and  exit 
be  made,  and  this  is  guarded  by  the  most 
powerful  fighting  men  of  the  realm. 


10  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

Lying  north  of  Thibet  and  west  of  the 
Chinese  Empire,  attempts  have  been  made 
by  both  of  these  countries,  in  the  centuries 
past,  to  conquer  this  wealthy  little  nation. 
These  have  been  chronicled  by  old  writers  in 
both  Sanskrit  and  Hindoostanee,  all  of  whom 
agree  that  the  treasure-stores  of  Kaffiristan 
are  so  great  as  to  be  almost  beyond  belief. 
Legends,  in  all  dialects  of  Northern  India, 
come  down  to  us  of  brave  men  who,  at  the 
heads  of  armies,  have  attacked  the  pass, 
and  given  their  lives  in  the  pursuit  of  con- 
quest. We  learn,  too,  of  many  youths,  bent 
upon  adventures  of  the  most  hazardous  kind, 
and  lured  on  by  the  promise  of  fame,  trav- 
ersing the  unknown  paths  of  the  mountains 
in  the  hope  of  discovering  some  new  way 
into  the  enchanted  plateau.  Whether  any 
of  these  youths  succeeded  in  their  ambition 
we  have  no  means  of  telling,  but  certain 
it  is  that  neither  they  nor  the  warriors  ever 
returned  to  tell  of  it.  Moreover,  of  all  the 
prisoners  captured  by  the  people  of  Kaffiris- 


PROLOGUE.  11 

tan,  no  one,  until  recently,  lias  been  known 
to  escape. 

Among  the  old  records  the  only  authentic 
bit  of  information  regarding  this  strange 
country  is  written  upon  a  standard,  which 
was  found  after  a  great  battle  just  without 
the  pass.  *It  reads  thus :  "  Never  relinquish 
conquest.  This  nation  is  the  richest  of  all 
the  earth.  Huge  buildings  of  gold  stand 
everywhere  about.  Jewels  and  precious 
stones  form  the  pavements  of  the  streets. 
The  beauty  of  the  scene  and  fertility  of  the 
soil  were  never  equalled.  And  as  for  the 
maidens,  man's  eye  never  gazed  upon  per- 
fection before.  One's  senses  are  lost  in  gaz- 
ing, and  one  is  enraptured  to  such  a  point 
that  death  is  a  small  penalty  to  pay  for 
having  for  one  moment  looked  upon  such 
superhuman  beauty  in  life." 

Is  it  to  be  wondered  at  that,  after  this, 
great  armies  were  fitted  out  to  conquer  and 
despoil  this  fabulously  rich  kingdom  ?  Yet 
one  and  all  met  with  disastrous  failure ;  the 


12  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

narrowness  of  the  pass,  together  with  the 
superb  courage  and  skill  of  the  men  who 
guarded  it,  ever  held  Kaffiristan  secure  from 
invasion. 

Within  the  last  few  years  an  English  ex- 
plorer, at  the  head  of  a  company  of  Northern 
Hindoos  and  Arabs,  made  a  desperate  at- 
tempt to  enter  Kaffiristan  by  way  of  the 
hitherto  impassable  mountains  on  the  Af- 
ghanistan side.  Though  deserted  by  his 
followers,  without  food,  and  obliged  to  en- 
dure innumerable  hardships,  he  succeeded 
in  reaching  the  plateau.  Needless  to  say, 
he  was  immediately  taken  prisoner,  and  in- 
carcerated in  a  dungeon,  the  horrors  of 
which  are  not  to  be  described.  Two  years 
later,  after  having  been  tortured  and  maimed 
for  life  by  his  captors,  he  was  allowed  to 
pass  out  into  the  world  again.  Thus  was 
he  made  an  example  to  all  the  civilized  na- 
tions of  the  inhuman  methods  by  which  the 
inhabitants  of  Kaffiristan  protect  the  isola- 
tion which  they  consider  sacred. 


PROLOGUE.  13 

To  this  brave  explorer  we  owe  the  follow- 
ing story  of  Hakkouki,  the  only  foreigner 
who  has  been  allowed  to  enter  this  remark- 
able and,  to  their  minds,  holy  sect. 

Hakkouki,  to-day,  is  a  man  of  great  power 
in  the  mountain  kingdom  of  Kaffiristan,  and, 
when  the  present  monarch  dies  it  is  very 
probable  that  he  will  be  made  king.  In 
such  an  event  Kaffiristan  will  doubtless  open 
its  long-closed  doors  to  civilization,  but  until 
then,  there  is  little  hope  of  adding  much  to 
our  meagre  knowledge  of  this  strange  coun- 
try and  its  people. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE    EXPEDITION. 

TTAKKOUKI  was  a  Persian;  a  cousin 
twice  removed  from  the  royal  house. 
During  his  boyhood,  and  indeed  up  to  the 
time  when  circumstances  led  him  to  renounce 
his  native  land,  he  was  the  chosen  compan- 
ion of  the  Shah,  himself  a  lad  his  elder  by 
two  years.  Although  a  favorite  at  times, 
he  was  ever  the  young  Shah's  plaything; 
often  knocked  about,  ill-treated,  and  insulted. 
And  as  time  went  on,  Hakkouki  was  treated 
worse  and  worse;  for  while  he  sped  on  in  his 
development  like  a  young  lion,  the  youthful 
ruler  ceased  to  grow,  and  became  jealous  of 
his  handsome  companion.  Yet  so  strong 
and  lithe,  dexterous  and  agile,  was  Hakkouki, 
that  he  could  easily  ward  off  or  slip  aside 

14 


THE   EXPEDITION.  15 

from  the  blows  constantly  aimed  at  him,  or, 
what  was  often  more  necessary,  avoid  being 
spat  upon  by  the  royal  boy. 

The  time  which  the  Shah  gave  to  develop- 
ing his  sharp  tongue,  Hakkouki  spent  in  culti- 
vating his  character.  His  self-control  became 
perfect;  his  tact,  his  ingenuity,  his  amiability, 
grew  with  every  year,  as  did  his  kindness  of 
heart  and  Christian  forbearance.  Notwith- 
standing his  cousin's  ill-usage  and  bad  temper, 
Hakkouki  always  made  excuses  for  him,  and, 
in  spite  of  all,  loved  him  as  a  brother. 

The  noble  nature  of  Hakkouki  was  not  to 
be  withstood.  By  degrees,  the  childish  hatred 
of  the  royal  youth  diminished,  and  he  began 
to  admire  and  look  up  to  his  masterful  com- 
panion. Even  at  the  time  of  his  most  intense 
irritation,  he  would  not  be  separated  from 
him.  When  he  had  kicked  and  abused  Hak- 
kouki until  the  attendants  induced  him  to  try 
some  other  sport,  he  still  insisted  upon  Hak- 
kouki accompanying  him. 

Now  Hakkouki  was  as  handsome  a  boy  as 


16  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

the  Persian  sun  ever  shone  upon.  And  as  he 
grew,  his  beauty,  tact,  and  influence  increased 
to  such  an  extent  that  at  eighteen  the  throne 
was  no  longer  safe  for  the  Shah.  He  had 
become  such  a  universal  favorite,  that  there 
was  actual  danger  that  his  followers  would 
take  him  bodily  and  make  him  their  ruler. 
At  this  point  the  Shah's  councillors  said, 
"  Banish  him " ;  but  such  was  the  Shah's 
love  for  Hakkouki  by  this  time  that  he  could 
not  bear  the  thought  of  losing  him. 

Just  at  the  time  when  an  insurrection 
seemed  imminent,  something  happened  which 
decided  everything  quickly  and  definitely. 
Hakkouki  was  sent  to  the  neighboring  king- 
dom of*  Abdamousa  for  a  beautiful  princess 
whom  the  Shah  desired  to  marry.  When  he 
was  about  to  start  upon  the  journey,  the 
Shah,  in  final  farewell,  ordered  brought  forth 
a  precious  liquid  with  which  he  filled  the 
small  golden  bottle  which  hung  by  a, chain 
from  Hakkouki's  neck. 

This   bottle   was    an    ornament,   worn    by 


THE  EXPEDITION.  17 

many  of  the  nobles,  for  the  purpose  of  carry- 
ing the  sweet  perfumes  so  .much  desired  in 
Oriental  life.  Upon  its  surface  was  inscribed 
the  words :  "  Death  comes  not  to  him  who 
wears  this  talisman."  The  liquid  with 
which  the  Shah  filled  it  was  said  to  possess, 
in  its  fragrance,  a  life-giving  charm.  Hak- 
kouki  bowed  his  head  in  tender  gratitude 
for  his  cousin's  solicitude,  and  rode  away. 

After  nine  days'  journey  he  arrived  at 
the  palace  of  Abdamousa  at  sunrise.  As  he 
rode  up  to  the  entrance  archway  at  the  head 
of  the  escorting  troops,  he  made  a  truly 
magnificent  appearance.  Mounted  upon  a 
massive  Arabian  stallion,  with  the  rays  of 
the  sun  glinting  his  armor,  his  weapons  and 
trappings,  and  his  young,  handsome  face 
aglow  with  youth  and  pleasure,  he  looked 
like  a  young  god. 

It  happened  that  the  Princess,  looking 
down  upon  the  scene  from  an  upper  win- 
dow, saw  this  ideal  lord ;  and,  thinking  that 
such  a  being  could  be  no  other  than  the 


18  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

Shah  himself,  she  ran  swiftly  down  to  greet 
him. 

At  the  palace  door,  just  as  Hakkouki  had 
reached  it,  the  impetuous  maiden  threw  her- 
self into  his  arms,  murmuring :  "  My  lord ! 
I  am  thine !  To  thee  only  will  I  be  true ; 
for  in  one  moment  I  do  love  thee  with  all 
my  nature." 

Immediately  terrible  consternation  pre- 
vailed. For  these  words  were  heard  by 
the  officers  who  had  come  as  an  escort. 
What  was  to  be  done?  This  story  taken 
back  to  the  court  would  so  incense  the  Shah 
that  the  lives  of  Hakkouki  and  all  the 
officers  would  be  in  danger. 

Not  for  a  moment  did  Hakkouki  forget 
his  mission,  but  the  scene  that  followed  was 
one  calculated  to  test  his  firmness  and  loyalty. 

The  Princess  was  young  and  fair.  She 
had  been  reared  in  an  atmosphere  of  love 
and  indulgence.  Indeed,  it  was  one  of  ab- 
solute devotion,  wherein  to  wish  was  to 
have.  Having  signified  her  approval  in  this 


THE  EXPEDITION.  19 

spontaneous  manner,  with  all  the  innocence 
and  sweetness  of  a  child,  she  expected  and 
awaited  a  reciprocal  response. 

Surprised  that  none  came,  she  withdrew 
from  his  arms,  but  took  his  hand  within 
her  own  and  looked  with  wonder  and  in- 
quiry into  his  face, — and  then  at  the  cour- 
tiers. What  she  saw  puzzled  and  distressed 
her. 

Upon  all  was  an  expression  of  dissent  and 
protest,  softened  in  Hakkouki's  face  by  kind- 
ness and  admiration. 

As  though  in  answer  to  their  mute  protest, 
clasping  his  hand  to  her  bosom,  she  called 
out :  "  Nay,  nay,  tell  me  not  'tis  not  my 
lord.  I'll  be  the  bride  of  none  but  he." 

In  truth,  the  Princess  could  not  compre- 
hend the  situation.  Small  wonder !  Never 
in  her  bright  life  had  she  experienced  denial 
or  disapproval,  and  she  was  at  a  loss  to 
know  why  any  one  should  be  perplexed  or 
annoyed  at  her  wish  to  espouse  this  fair 
young  lord. 


20  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

In  vain  her  father  endeavored  to  withdraw 
her  into  the  palace  that  he  might  reason 
and  explain. 

At  last  they  were  forced  to  call  the 
women,  who,  by  persuasion  and  strategy, 
and  at  last  the  promise  that  she  should  be 
allowed  to  see  him  again  within  an  hour, 
led  her  away. 

The  King  of  Abdamousa  was  much  dis- 
tressed. He  ordered  breakfast  to  be  served, 
and  took  his  guests  to  the  banquet  room  to 
refresh  themselves.  There  they  discussed 
the  best  means  of  getting  over  the  diffi- 
culty. 

Of  course,  there  was  but  one  way  out  of 
it  all.  Silence  under  penalty  of  death  for 
the  soldiers,  and  force  with  the  Princess. 
The  tears  streamed  down  the  bronzed  face 
of  the  old  warrior  King.  As  well  use  force 
with  the  rose  which  turns  its  beautiful,  deli- 
cate face  toward  the  sun.  It  could  be  done. 
The  rose  could  be  bent  and  tied  down;  it 
could  be  placed  where  there  was  no  sun, 


THE   EXPEDITION.  21 

and  then  —  in  a  short  time,  there  would  be 
no  rose  either.  This  was  his  thought,  and 
so  the  tears  flowed  freely.  He  glanced  up 
at  the  saddened,  but  enchanting,  counte- 
nance of  the  youth  who  sat  opposite  him. 

"  No  wonder,"  he  said  to  himself ;  "  his 
beauty  is  irresistible." 

In  spite  of  all,  the  cruel  decision  was 
made ;  force  must  be  used,  and  persuasion. 
To  the  women  was  this  last  duty  allotted. 
They  must  tell  her  that  Hakkouki  was  a 
bad,  hardened  courtier,  who  had  merely 
been  sent  to  filch  her ;  a  pauper,  moreover, 
whose  death  would  be  ordered,  if  she  per- 
sisted in  her  bewailing. 

Alas !  that  such  inventions  should  have 
been  told  the  poor  Princess.  When  she 
heard  these  things,  her  disappointment  and 
humiliation  were  so  great  that  she  retired 
to  her  own  chamber,  took  poison,  and  died. 

To  Hakkouki  and  his  companions  re- 
mained nothing  but  death,  for  to  return 
without  the  bride,  and  with  such  an  ex- 


22  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

planation,  would  be  unpardonable.  The 
very  thought  of  the  Shah's  anger  filled 
them  with  terror.  Never  could  they  re- 
turn. Of  what  avail,  only  to  die. 

"We  can  go  out  into  the  world  and  con- 
quer lands,"  said  one  of  the  young  officers. 

"  Then  we  will  return  and  lay  them  at 
the  feet  of  our  master,  and  he  will  forgive 
us,"  said  another. 

"We  have  soldiers,  but  little  gold,"  said 
Hakkouki. 

"Take  my  gold,  take  my  treasure,  take 
my  army,"  said  the  wretched  King  of  Ab- 
damousa.  "  I  have  no  need  of  any  now. 
I  go  soon  to  join  my  dear  one  in  the  celes- 
tial paradise  of  eternity." 

And  thus  it  came  about  that  Hakkouki, 
at  the  head  of  an  army  composed  of  the 
best  fighters  known  about  those  parts,  and 
possessed  of  the  wealth  of  the  realm,  set 
out  to  conquer  unknown  lands. 

Wandering  through  Persia  toward  the 
northeast,  he,  in  time,  reached  the  vicinity 


THE  EXPEDITION.  23 

of  the  Elburz  Mountains,  which  separated 
him  from  Afghanistan.  He  found  the  pass 
near  Penjdeh,  by  which  a  few  days'  journey 
would  take  him  across  the  border.  Until 
this  moment,  the  unhappy  boy  had  scarcely 
breathed  freely,  for  the  sight  of  a  horseman 
in  the  distance  instantly  brought  fears  of 
pursuit.  The  rage  of  the  Shah  upon  hear- 
ing of  the  tragedy  at  Abdamousa's  court 
Hakkouki  could  well  imagine.  For  weeks 
it  would  be  safe  for  none  who  entered  his 
presence.  At  the  same  time,  Hakkouki,  in 
the  kindness  of  his  heart  and  love  for  his 
cousin,  felt  only  the  greatest  sympathy  for 
him  in  his  terrible  loss. 

To  lose  such  a  sweet  creature  as  the 
Princess,  who  clung  to  his  neck  for  those 
few  short  moments,  seemed  to  Hakkouki 
a  fate  so  hard  that  he  hung  his  head  in 
sadness  and  woe. 

Once  over  the  border,  he  felt  free  from 
pursuit,  having  gained  much  time  in  start- 
ing so  soon.  He  had  sent  three  of  his 


24  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

swiftest  horsemen  in  .  advance  to  his  friend 
Bokhatan,  whose  palace  and  lands  were  on 
the  outskirts  of  Koodooz.  Ever  after,  hav- 
ing left  Penjdeh,  he  was  daily  expecting 
their  return.  The  road  to  Koodooz  was 
good  and  well  travelled.  Moreover,  he  had 
already  passed  signals  placed  by  his  horse- 
men, telling  him  that  he  was  moving  in 
the  right  direction.  Bokhatan  was  well 
known  to  Hakkouki,  having  lived  at  the 
palace  during  his  childhood.  His  wish  for 
fame  and  adventure  was  such  that  Hak- 
kouki felt  he  had  only  to  tell  him  his  deter- 
mination for  conquest  to  gain  his  aid  and 
companionship. 

It  was  necessary  that  Bokhatan  should 
meet  him  soon  after  arriving  in  Afghanistan ; 
for  although  the  road  upon  which  he  trav- 
elled passed  through  a  country  which  was 
not  thickly  settled,  he  nevertheless  needed  a 
friend,  a  native,  to  ease  the  fears  of  any  one, 
who  might  see  such  a  large  army  coming  into 
their  land.  Wandering  tribes,  as  they  were 


THE  EXPEDITION.  25 

generally  in  the  outlying  districts,  paid  little 
attention  to  him ;  but  should  the  news  reach 
Koodooz  before  Bokhatan  was  prepared  to 
receive  and  assist  him,  trouble  might  accrue. 
All,  however,  went  well.  Bokhatan,  over- 
whelmed with  delight  at  the  prospect,  went 
in  great  haste  to  the  King.  He  took  with 
him  the  three  swift  horsemen,  and  in  a  few 
hours'  audience  gained  the  consent  of  the 
King  to  the  use  of  the  army.  His  plan  was 
that  Hakkouki  and  himself  should  combine 
to  conquer  the  inhabitants  of  the  moun- 
tainous fortress  of  Kaffiristan. 

Wild  enthusiasm  possessed  the  city  when 
the  two  armies  under  the  leadership  of  Hak- 
kouki, with  Bokhatan  as  his  chief  general, 
sallied  forth  toward  the  east.  Never  in  all 
the  legends  had  such  an  army  as  this  under- 
taken the  expedition,  and  with  two  such  men 
as  Hakkouki  and  Bokhatan,  such  a  thing  as 
failure  seemed  impossible.  But  for  all  the 
bitter  sadness  that  so  many  thousands  of 
young  and  brave  and  handsome  men  should 


26  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

not  have  been  victorious,  to  have  opened  up 
this  longed-for  country  to  civilization  (as  they 
called  the  life  they  led),  to  have  possessed 
themselves  of  its  treasure  and  enriched  their 
courts  at  home, — for  all  the  bitter  sadness  of 
it  the  hard  fact  remains,  that  they  went  only 
to  meet  death. 

With  the  exception  of  Hakkouki,  not  one 
of  this  gay  and  spirited  throng  ever  returned 
to  tell  his  tale.  Hundreds  upon  hundreds 
attacked  the  pass  only  to  be  thrown  back  to 
die  with  their  horses,  while  this  remarkable 
and  overpowering  guard  still  held  the  pass. 
Never  was  one  man  of  them  seen  to  fall. 
Death  seemed  impossible  to  them.  While 
from  Hakkouki's  army  new  men  constantly 
rode  up  to  take  the  places  of  those  who  had 
fallen,  the  same  ones  stood  on  the  opposing 
side  to  receive  them.  It  was  impossible  to 
tell  by  how  many  they  were  reenforced  from 
the  rear,  for  the  reason  that  the  narrowness 
of  the  pass  prevented. 

Although  Hakkouki  had  fought  at  the  head 


THE   EXPEDITION.  27 

of  his  men  during  the  whole  encounter,  and 
Bokhatan  had  fallen  in  the  early  part  of  the 
attack,  Hakkouki  still  fought  on.  He  found 
himself  at  last  apparently  deserted,  his  horse 
killed  under  him,  and  the  ground  strewn  with 
the  bodies  of  his  comrades  heaped  so  com- 
pactly as  to  make  an  elevation  on  which  he 
stood. 

A  dozen  men  swooped  dowTn  upon  him ; 
he  struggled  for  a  moment,  when  stout  bands 
of  iron  were  thrown  about  his  body,  and  in 
his  one  last  moment  of  consciousness  he  felt 
himself  dragged  from  his  eminence  on  the 
bodies  of  his  faithful  men. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE    MYSTERIOUS    KINGDOM. 

TTOW  long  he  remained  unconscious,  Hak- 
kouki  never  knew.  Whether  he  was 
already  dead,  was,  for  a  long  time,  something 
of  which  he  did  not  feel  sure.  But  certainly, 
when  next  he  breathed  a  breath  of  conscious- 
ness, it  was  as  if  he  had  been  born  again. 
One  thought  only  possessed  him :  "  How 
sweet  is  life ! "  For  he  was  well  convinced 
that  this  was  life  which  he  felt  coursing 
through  his  system.  This  wonderful  beauty 
which  he  saw  before  him  was  life.  The  sweet 
sounds  which  he  heard  all  about  him  were 
life.  He  had  no  need  to  give  thanks  to  his 
Maker  in  words  for  the  precious  gift  which 
he  had  bestowed  upon  him,  for  his  innermost 
feeling  and  thought,  his  mere  breathing,  were 
thanks  in  consciousness. 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  KINGDOM.  29 

And  such  it  is  to  live,  for  a  baby  who 
breathes  its  first  breath,  or  for  a  youth  from 
whom  life  seems  to  have  been  taken,  and 
who  comes  back  to  its  sweet  seductions.  But 
Hakkouki  did  not  ask,  "  Where  am  I  ?  "  He 
did  not  care.  He  was  surrounded  by  many 
people.  He  heard  voices  speaking  in  a  lan- 
guage foreign  to  him,  and  he  knew  not 
whereof  they  spoke.  He  was  lying  upon  a 
luxurious  couch  in  a  grand  apartment,  the 
ceiling  of  which,  the  draperies,  and  all  that 
came  to  his  view,  were  most  magnificent. 

He  tried  to  rise,  for  he  was  curious  to  know 
who  all  these  people  were.  He  found  it  easy 
enough,  easier  than  he  had  thought  it  would 
be.  A  scene  of  beauty  and  grandeur  met  his 
eyes,  such  as  even  he  had  never  known. 
Many  people  talked  together,  and  moved 
about,  but  took  no  notice  of  him.  He  looked 
down  at  himself,  at  his  clothing,  and  he  was 
amazed  to  find  that  he  was  clad  in  robes 
entirely  different  from  any  he  had  ever  seen 
before.  Moreover,  his  hands,  which  were 


30  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

usually  bedecked  with  many  jewels,  were 
quite  bare. 

As  he  lay  there,  lost  in  wonderment,  a  sud- 
den hush  fell  upon  the  people.  They  moved 
quickly  to  one  side,  and  made  an  opening  for 
some  one  to  enter.  Suddenly  there  appeared 
before  Hakkouki's  bewildered  eyes  a  most 
beautiful  girl,  so  much  more  beautiful  than 
his  imagination  had  ever  pictured  a  girl  could 
be,  that  he  fell  upon  his  knees  before  her  in 
the  most  abject  adoration.  She  put  forth  her 
hand,  and  uttering  some  word  which  he  felt 
to  mean  "  rise,"  he  did  so.  She  motioned 
him  to  sit  upon  the  couch  beside  her.  She 
made  sounds  with  her  beautiful  lips,  and  he 
answered  "  Hakkouki."  He  repeated  the 
sounds,  and  she  said  "  Drusa."  Then  she 
leaned  forward  and  kissed  him. 

There  was  no  need  to  speak  each  other's 
language ;  the  language  of  affection  is  one 
common  to  all.  It  does  not  go  far,  but  it 
means  a  good  deal  as  far  as  it  goes. 

And  so  it  came  to  pass  that,  as  Hakkouki 


THE   MYSTERIOUS  KINGDOM.  31 

was  allowed  perfect  freedom  of  the  palace, 
as  he  was  never  alone,  even  in  his  sleep- 
ing room  having  always  an  attendant,  he 
soon  learned  sufficient  of  the  language  which 
they  spoke  to  make  himself  understood. 
Once  during  each  day,  he  was  ordered  to 
the  great  room  where  he  had  first  seen  the 
beautiful  vision  of  Drusa.  There  each  day, 
more  words  were  spoken,  and  more  thoughts 
exchanged.  Never  was  any  reference  made 
to  a  life  which  he  thought  he  had  lived 
previous  to  this.  Indeed,  he  was  fast  for- 
getting that  any  such  time  had  ever  ex- 
isted. 

Happiness  complete  reigned  in  Hakkouki's 
heart.  Surrounded  by  all  that  was  beautiful 
and  luxurious,  treated  by  all  with  the  most 
extreme  courtesy  and  respect,  learning  rapidly 
to  speak  in  this  musical  and  sweet-sound- 
ing language,  and  beloved  by  the  most 
beautiful  woman  ever  created,  what  more 
could  he  ask  ?  Certainly  no  spirit  of  ad- 
venture dominated  him  now.  Not  for  all 


32  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

the  worlds  to  conquer  would  he  leave  even 
the  palace,  for  fear  that  by  some  accident 
he  should  not  find  the  way  back. 

At  last,  when  he  was  well  able  to  express 
himself,  and  could  hold  conversation  very 
comfortably  with  all,  he  was  summoned 
for  the  first  time  to  dine  in  the  banquet 
hall. 

The  King,  whom  he  had  never  before 
seen,  presided.  As  it  was  the  custom  at 
the  court  never  to  speak  the  name  of  a  per- 
son unless  he  were  present,  Hakkouki  had 
never  even  heard  of  him.  The  King,  a  man 
of  noble  bearing  and  kindly  face,  arose. 

"Most  honored  enemy,"  said  he,  "during 
my  illness,  and  while  my  daughter  reigned, 
you  have  desired  to  visit  my  court.  To 
you  now,  upon  my  return  to  my  friends, 
I  extend  greeting,  and  on  behalf  of  my 
daughter,  the  Princess,  hospitality.  Be 
seated." 

The  feast  was  one  attended  only  by  men. 
After  the  first  remarks  addressed  to  Hak- 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  KINGDOM.  33 

kouki  by  the  King,  he  turned  his  attention 
to  others  and  left  his  guest  to  be  enter- 
tained by  those  sitting  near.  He  was  con- 
stantly addressed  by  his  name  and  initiated 
with  the  greatest  consideration  into  the 
customs  of  this  nation,  a  world  by  itself. 
He  was  told  that  it  contained  many  cities, 
and  much  beautiful  country,  and  also  was 
he  informed  of  the  opportunity  which  would 
soon  be  presented  to  him  to  travel  about  on 
horseback  and  become  acquainted  with  it. 

All  this  was  very  interesting,  and  Hak- 
kouki  asked :  — 

"  Have  you  lakes  and  winding  rivers  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed,  and,  moreover,  there  is 
Lake  Tinkash,  a  deposit  of  salt  making  the 
water  buoyant,  in  which  we  bathe." 

"How  delightful!"  said  Hakkouki.  "I 
have  bathed  in  such  water  on  the  shores 
of  the  Caspian." 

A  sudden  hush  fell  upon  his  neighbors. 

"  We  know  no  such  place,"  said  his  friend, 
quietly. 


34  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

Whereupon  Hakkouki  opened  his  mouth 
to  explain  and  describe,  but  in  an  instant 
six  armed  men  stood  behind  his  chair.  His 
friend  motioned  them  to  go,  saying  to  Hak- 
kouki in  a  whisper,  "  We  do  not  speak  of 
Hades  while  Heaven  lies  within  our  grasp." 

Hakkouki  comprehended,  and  the  soldiers 
dispersed.  But  he  had  learned  his  lesson,  and 
from  then  on,  no  word  escaped  his  lips,  nor 
scarcely  did  a  thought  outside  his  delightful 
surroundings  come  to  his  mind.  Much  had 
he  to  take  up  his  time.  The  young  men 
with  whom  he  was  thrown,  although  luxuri- 
ously inclined,  and  fastidious  in  dress  and 
personal  care,  at  the  same  time  gave  much 
time  and  practice  to  games,  and  athletic 
cultivation. 

Hakkouki  soon  learned  that  the  weak  and 
sick  were  beheaded  at  short  notice,  all  males 
being  examined  at  stated  intervals,  and  those 
below  the  standard  were  dropped  from  the 
ranks.  Women  and  children  of  the  same 
physical  order  were  allowed  to  live  in  homes 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  KINGDOM.  35 

erected  for  them,  but  marriage  was  forbidden 
them.  Their  lives  were  happy,  much  credit 
and  fame  often  coming  to  them  from  the 
beautiful  work  created  by  them  with  the 
needle  and  the  brush. 

Hakkouki  had  often  admired  the  wonderful 
physical  development  of  the  young  men,  but 
even  then  he  had  little  knowledge  how  he 
outshone  them  all  in  strength  and  beauty. 
He  never  dared  ask  how  he  came  to  be  alive ; 
generally  it  was  pleasant  enough  for  him  to 
know  he  was  alive. 

One  day,  his  attendant,  Domli,  repeated 
the  summons  which  daily  gladdened  his 
heart,  that  his  presence  was  desired  below. 
While  making  his  toilet  preparations,  Domli 
suddenly  whispered :  — 

"  You're  a  happy  man,  sire." 

"  Oh,  most  certainly  I  am,"  said  Hakkouki. 

"  You  are  beloved." 

"  Yes  ?  "  breathed  Hakkouki. 

Although  he  was  told  this  each  day  in  one 
way  or  another,  still  Hakkouki  scarcely  dared 


36  THE  GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

believe  it.  The  joy  seemed  too  great.  Then 
Domli  bent  low  over  him,  and  said  :  — 

"  You  will  be  wed." 

He  did  not  answer.  Suddenly,  the  servant 
tottered,  and  almost  falling  into  his  arms, 
whispered  with  gasping  breath  :  — 

"  She  saved  your  life,  she  looked  upon  your 
face  and  saved  you.  Look  upon  mine  and 
save  me.  I  am  not  well ;  they  will  take  my 
life  to-morrow,  and  I  love  life  just  as  you  do. 
Save  me ! " 

Hakkouki  looked  upon  his  face  and  saw 
the  pallor.  For  the  first  time  he  realized 
how  different  Domli  looked  from  any  other 
man  he  had  seen  there,  and  raising  him  up, 
he  said :  — 

"  To-morrow,  you  say  —  so  soon  ?  I  will 
try." 

Now  Domli  looked  indeed  a  most  peculiar 
person.  Strange,  narrow  black  eyes  had  he. 
His  hair  was  closely  chopped,  and  perched 
upon  his  head  was  a  tall  red  turban.  This 
gave  him  a  strange  appearance,  especially  as 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  KINGDOM.  37 

his  face  was  narrow  and  he  had  no  ears.  It 
was  the  custom  to  remove  the  ears  from  all 
prisoners  taken  from  the  besieging  army. 
Few  were  ever  allowed  to  live,  but  when  one 
had  performed  some  great  act  of  heroism,  life 
was  allowed  him.  But  that  he  might  be 
always  known  as  of  a  foreign  race,  this  mark 
distinguished  him.  Domli  wore  long  and 
trailing  garments,  which  were  highly  and 
variously  colored. 

Although  he  had  seemed  at  all  times 
happy,  previous  to  his  illness,  showing  his 
fine  large  white  teeth  when  smiling,  he  at 
the  same  time  had  a  strange  mysterious  man- 
ner and  always  whispered.  The  language 
being  without  the  sound  of  s  gave  a  peculiar 
tone  in  whispers. 

Sadly  Hakkouki  went  to  meet  his  beloved 
Drusa.  To-morrow  would  soon  be  here,  and 
he  might  never  see  Domli  again.  Hakkouki, 
possessed  as  he  was  of  a  tender  and  suscepti- 
ble heart,  found  it  difficult  to  accustom  him- 
self to  the  thought  that  this  system  was  right 


38  THE    GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

or  lawful.  Then  Domli  was  so  faithful,  and 
Hakkouki  found  he  had  a  strong  affection  for 
him.  Moreover,  the  Princess  had  not  yet 
wed  him,  nor  would  she  by  to-morrow. 

Now  Domli  had  committed  a  sin  in  speak- 
ing of  it  to  him,  and  he  should  commit  a  sin 
against  hospitality  in  helping  him. 

However,  he  could  not  tell  the  Princess, 
as  many  people  were  present,  and  it  cer- 
tainly was  not  etiquette  to  do  so.  The  con- 
versation was  limited  to  personal  subjects  and 
abstract  thoughts,  occupations,  and  story-tell- 
ing. After  the  greeting  of  the  Princess,  Hak- 
kouki suddenly  could  find  no  word  to  say. 
All  allowable  subjects  flashed  through  his 
mind,  and  none  but  Domli  came  to  his  lips. 

"You  are  not  well,  my  love,"  spoke  Drusa. 

"Heavens!  They  would  behead  him," 
thought  Hakkouki,  turning  pale. 

"Ah,  yes,"  said  he,  quickly.  "I  am  well, 
quite  well.  I  have  been  thinking  of  Lake 
Tinkash.  I  should  much  like  to  go  for  a  few 
days  to  try  the  water." 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   KINGDOM.  39 

"Most  certainly;  I  will  order  an  expedi- 
tion," said  the  Princess. 

"  Ah,  most  gracious  Princess,  how  can  I 
thank  you?  I  can  go  to-day,  if  it  would 
please  your  highness." 

"As  you  wish,"  said  the  Princess. 

"  But  how  can  I  leave  you  ? "  gasped 
Hakkouki. 

Suddenly  it  seemed  to  him  madness  to 
think  of  going.  Three  days  —  how  could  he 
live  to  do  it?  Those  few  precious  moments 
which  wrere  more  than  gold  to  him,  —  no,  not 
to  save  his  own  life  would  he  give  them  up ; 
but  poor  Domli !  He  remembered  his  dis- 
tressed face  with  its  heartbreaking  fear.  To 
be  sure  he  was  not  to  be  examined  until 
to-morrow,  and  he  might  not  be  as  ill  as  he 
thought,  or  might  be  better  by  to-morrow.  But 
no,  it  would  not  be  safe  to  wait.  He  must  go, 
and  go  he  did.  Thereby  he  made  a  friend 
who  years  later  and  always  would  be  to  him 
more  than  can  be  easily  procured  in  this  world. 
A  friend  for  life  is  no  small  thing  to  gain. 


40  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

The  salt  bathing  had  a  wonderfully  invig- 
orating effect  on  Domli's  health.  Three  days 
later,  he  went  quickly  to  be  examined,  and 
procured  another  lease  of  life. 

A  short  time  after  this  episode,  while 
assisting  at  his  toilet,  Domli  presented  Hak- 
kouki  with  a  small  golden  talisman  attached 
to  a  chain.  Hakkouki  knew  it  well.  He  had 
worn  it  in  his  previous  life.  Much  pleased, 
he  slipped  the  chain  about  his  neck,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  the  throne  room,  where  he  had  been 
summoned.  Here  he  found  a  great  assem- 
blage gathered.  Many  guests  from  all  parts 
of  the  nation  had  arrived  in  honor  of  the 
birthday  of  the  Princess.  The  great  room 
was  resplendent  with  jewels  and  fine  garments. 
A  magnificent  dais  was  raised  at  the  end  of 
the  room,  upon  which  sat  the  King  receiving 
his  distinguished  guests,  and  beside  him  the 
Princess,  radiant  in  her  youthful  beauty. 

Suddenly,  in  the  midst  of  the  reception,  a 
swift  change  overspread  the  Princess's  coun- 
tenance, —  the  soft  delicate  features  hardened 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  KINGDOM.  41 

into  unnatural  lines,  the  rose-coloring  faded 
to  a  ghastly  pallor,  and  she  fell  back  into  the 
attendant's  arms.  Terror  held  the  spectators 
spellbound. 

Was  the  Princess  dying? 

A  strange  death-like  silence  reigned.  Peo- 
ple stood  about  in  groups,  whispering  with 
trembling  lips.  Awe-struck  faces  were  to  be 
seen  on  all  sides,  and  everywhere  were  ser- 
vants hurrying  with  noiseless  feet  to  and  fro, 
answering  the  calls  for  assistance.  Certainly 
a  terrible  calamity  had  befallen  this  house ; 
for  all  who  lived  at  the  palace  loved  the 
Princess  devotedly,  and  to  all  present  was 
she  endeared  by  her  beautiful  nature.  Was 
it  death,  —  come  so  soon  to  snatch  this  fair- 
est bud  of  all  their  race  ?  No  kingdom  has 
the  power  to  vanquish  this  most  aggressive 
enemy.  A  wily  fellow,  whom  giant  moun- 
tains and  unconquerable  guards  cannot  forbid 
an  entrance,  who  walks  into  the  midst  of  the 
strongest,  and  with  a  light  hand  seizes  upon 
their  best  beloved. 


42  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

Hakkouki  saw  the  consternation  and  ter- 
ror of  the  people.  In  a  moment  he  had 
dashed  across  to  the  group  crowding  about 
the  Princess,  as  she  was  being  lifted  from 
the  throne.  Though  fear  was  upon  his 
classic  features,  he  quickly  took  the  golden 
bottle  from  his  neck,  and,  opening  it,  dashed 
the  contents  over  the  fair  face  of  the  ex- 
piring Princess.  All  gazed  in  silence  at  this 
bold  act.  The  next  moment,  however,  they 
cried,  "  She  lives !  "  The  death-like  pallor 
gave  way  to  a  movement  of  color  beneath 
the  waxen  skin,  the  features  relaxed,  and 
the  eyes  slowly  widened  and  fixed  them- 
selves upon  the  man  who  had  grasped  her 
from  the  hand  of  death.  Then  the  beau- 
tiful lips  parted  and  murmured,  "Hak- 
kouki!" 

If  Hakkouki  was  adored  at  the  court  be- 
fore this  event  occurred,  what  was  the  feel- 
ing which  these  loving  people  had  for  him 
afterward?  They  bowed  down  in  unspeak- 
able worship  when  he  passed.  In  a  few 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  KINGDOM.  43 

days'  time  the  Princess  recovered  her  usual 
health  and  spirits. 

One  morning,  soon  after  this  event,  Hak- 
kouki  received  a  summons  to  appear  before 
the  King  in  his  council  chamber.  Seated 
before  the  august  person  of  the  King,  were 
the  judges  and  learned  men  of  the  realm. 
At  first  sight  Hakkouki's  heart  quaked 
within  him;  for  his  guilty  conscience  im- 
mediately conjured  up  his  connection  with 
Domli's  escape  from  death.  But  when  the 
King  spoke,  all  his  fears  were  dispelled. 

"Most  honored  Hakkouki!  Thee  do  I 
greet,  thee  do  I  command  to  be  honored  in 
my  kingdom." 

Whereupon  the  learned  men  fell  upon 
their  knees  about  him,  kissing  the  hem  of 
his  silken  robe.  A  long,  strange  murmur 
proceeded  from  their  lips,  which  Hakkouki 
had  heard  in  the  places  of  worship  to  their 
Deity,  the  ancestor  in  flesh  and  blood  of 
the  long  line  of  kings  who  had  reigned 
over  their  nation.  From  this  Deity  was  the 


44  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

Princess  descended.  In  her  veins  flowed  the 
blood  of  the  Most  High,  and  over  this  blood 
had  Hakkouki  the  power  to  command  its 
return  to  life  when  death  was  near — death, 
which  in  their  religion  was  the  enemy,  the 
opposing  force  of  their  Deity.  For  by  death 
only  were  their  gods  overpowered.  Hak- 
kouki had  stayed  the  hand  of  death. 

"Hakkouki,"  continued  the  King,  "thy 
power  is  omnipotent.  To  thee  do  we  bow, 
and  thee  do  we  request  to  make  known  to 
us  the  contents  of  the  phial,  with  which 
thou  hast  overspread  the  fair  face  of  my 
daughter.  A  most  strange  and  fascinating 
odor,  such  as  no  man  in  Kaffiristan  hath 
smelled,  is  said  to  have  ensued  from  the 
liquid,  filling  the  room  with  a  rich,  life- 
giving  fragrance.  Where  hast  thou  this 
procured?  Whence  came  this?" 

"  Most  noble  sire,  that  I  know  not.  But 
were  I  permitted  to  speak  of  a  time  before  I 
knew  your  enchanted  kingdom,  I  could  say 
where  I  had  possessed  it." 


THE  MYSTERIOUS   KINGDOM.  45 

"To  my  ear  alone  is  that  possible  to  be 
spoken,"  said  the  King.  Turning  to  his  Coun- 
cil, "  Leave  us,  my  friends,"  said  he ;  "  hither 
will  I  call  thee  when  all  is  known." 

Left  alone,  Hakkouki  narrated  to  the  King 
his  custom  of  wearing  always  upon  his  neck 
the  golden  bottle  during  his  life  in  Persia.  It 
had  been  given  him  by  his  mother  when  a 
babe,  and  was  filled  each  day  by  the  steward 
of  the  palace  from  the  perfumes  of  his  rela- 
tive, the  Shah. 

"  Whence  come  they,  I  know  not,  but, 
most  honored  sire,  I  love  your  daughter;  I 
would  wed  her,  and  to  make  myself  noble,  to 
be  worthy  of  her  precious  love,  I  would  ac- 
complish this  small  service.  I  would  go  forth 
beyond  your  kingdom,  to  the  ends  of  the 
uncivilized  world  would  I  go,  to  probe  the 
mountains,  to  devastate  the  fields,  to  fathom 
the  depths  of  the  bottomless  seas,  and  of  all 
that  lies  beyond  would  I  make  myself  in- 
formed, in  order  that  I  might  add  to  your  fair 
country  a  new  delight  in  the  knowledge  of 


46  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

perfumes ;  and  give  pleasure  and  satisfaction 
to  you  and  your  fair  daughter.  Being  success- 
ful, —  for  in  such  a  quest  could  no  man  fail, 
—  I  ask  your  word  that  she  shall  be  my  wife." 
"  It  is  to  my  kingdom's  honor,  most  noble 
Hakkouki,  that  we  have  inspired  the  love 
and  homage  of  such  a  man  as  thou  art. 
Thou  shalt  go  upon  thy  travels,  and  thou 
shalt  learn  of  all  the  strange  liquids  used 
with  such  remarkable  power.  Of  these 
things  have  we  never  known.  And  thou  shalt 
bring  to  this  nation  the  wealth  of  this  won- 
derful science.  We,  who  have  been  exalted 
above  all  living  things,  may  come  to  find  that 
we  may  learn  from  these  poor  wretches  of 
barbarity,  as  we  before  have  learned  the  sci- 
ence of  life  from  poor,  creeping,  crawling,  and 
degraded  things.  In  the  hands  of  a  noble 
being  as  thou  art,  ignoble  things  become 
noble.  Thou  shalt  have  all  aid  in  thy  under- 
taking that  treasure  can  give,  but  thou  must 
go  alone.  I  call  the  judges  back  to  hear  the 
decision  we  have  made." 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  KINGDOM.  47 

It  being  settled,  therefore,  that  Hakkouki 
should  go  out  into  the  world  in  search  of 
the  one  only  charm  this  remarkable  country 
lacked,  he  made  preparations  at  once,  and 
in  something  less  than  a  month  made  his 
departure.  As  he  rode  out  by  the  moun- 
tain pass  where  he  had  so  valiantly  fought 
for  entrance,  he  was  escorted  by  the  whole 
populace.  No  conquering  hero  ever  rode  in 
greater  state.  He  was  mounted  upon  a  snow- 
white  charger,  the  most  beautiful  to  be  pro- 
cured in  the  kingdom.  This  animal  alone 
was  to  be  his  companion  beyond  the  moun- 
tain walls.  He  was  dressed  in  the  garments 
which  he  wore  when  captured,  for  Domli  had 
unearthed  them,  having  buried  them  long  ago 
in  a  sealed  urn  in  the  wild  solitudes  of  the 
mountains.  His  love  for  his  master  had 
made  it  impossible  for  him  to  destroy  by  fire, 
as  he  had  been  ordered,  these  garments,  hal- 
lowed by  contact  with  his  beloved  person. 

This  offence  of  Domli's  was  forgiven,  as 
these  garments  were  much  desired  by  the 


48  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

King's  Council,  they  having  decided  it  far 
wiser  to  send  Hakkouki  forth  clad  as  a 
being  of  the  outer  world.  Much  time  and 
consideration  had  been  spent  in  striving  to 
construct  a  set  of  garments  in  imitation  of 
such  as  they  had  never  seen.  Their  satis- 
faction was  complete  when  Domli  produced 
these  much-coveted  clothes.  To  them  was 
added  a  lining  of  fine  and  strong  kid,  em- 
broidered in  quiltings  by  the  marvellous 
handiwork  of  the  women.  In  these  quilt- 
ings  were  encased  diamonds  and  other 
jewels  of  inestimable  value,  that  Hakkouki 
might  lack  for  nothing  which  treasure 
could  procure  while  wandering  among  bar- 
barians. This  wealth  increased  the  weight 
of  his  clothing  to  a  considerable  degree, 
but  Hakkouki  was  a  strong  and  powerful 
man,  and  his  heart  was  light. 

When  Hakkouki  went  forth,  no  weight 
felt  he,  for  hope  bounded  exultantly  within 
him.  He  went  to  win  honor  for  her,  his 
fair  princess,  and  his  heart  beat  with  wild 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  KINGDOM.  49 

throbs  as  he  pictured  to  himself  his  delight 
upon  returning  to  his  bride.  Of  the  perils 
of  his  quest  no  thought  had  he,  only  of  the 
glory  of  his  return,  —  a  man  honored  to 
equal  her  position,  who  had  shown  his 
valor  in  pursuit  of  her  wish,  and  able  to 
feel  himself  worthy  of  her. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE   ROSE   GARDENS. 

OTANDING  in  the  elevated  and  narrow 
^  pass,  Hakkouki  turned  and  faced  the 
people  of  Kaffiristan,  his  friends  and  wor- 
shippers, once  his  most  bitter  enemies. 
Pulling  his  horse  up  for  a  moment,  he  sat 
silently  waving  his  plumed  helmet,  and 
listened  to  the  wild  cheers  and  cries  of 
farewell.  The  vision  the  last  to  meet  his 
gaze,  was  the  lovely  person  of  his  Drusa, 
seated  in  her  litter  in  all  her  glorious 
beauty,  waving  him  a  blessing  with  her 
dainty  hand. 

He  turned  quickly  and  rode  on  over  the 
grass-grown  mounds,  where  his  comrades  of 
two  years  ago  had  fallen. 

Two  years  had  he  loved   and  been  loved, 

60 


THE   ROSE    GARDENS.  51 

never  venturing  to  ask  her  hand  in 
marriage,  until  such  time  as  he  felt  himself 
her  equal  by  having  won  honor  for  her. 
Two  years  had  sufficed  to  remove  all  mem- 
ory of  events  which  had  occurred  before 
his  entrance  into  this  fairyland.  Happi- 
ness had  filled  his  heart,  and  life  had  been 
to  him  full  of  all  which  makes  what  we 
call  time.  Moreover,  as  time  in  Kaffiristan 
was  counted  by  another  schedule  than  any 
he  had  ever  been  accustomed  to,  it  was 
not  until  after  he  had  returned  to  Persia 
that  he  was  able  to  judge  how  long  a  time 
had  elapsed  since  his  departure. 

Throughout  the  day  he  rode  on  toward 
the  west,  feeling  neither  hunger  nor 
fatigue.  In  the  panniers  of  his  saddle  he 
found  food  which  had  been  placed  there  to 
provide  for  his  needs  until  he  should  arrive 
where  he  might  buy  more.  This  would 
probably  be  but  a  short  time,  for  he  knew 
well  that  he  should  come  upon  the  tempo- 
rary settlement  of  some  wandering  tribe 


52  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

as  soon  as  he  had  travelled  over  the  moun- 
tains. That  night  he  camped  in  the  forest. 
He  slept  heavily  and  long  and  when  he 
awoke  it  was  with  the  feeling  that  some 
one  was  near  him.  Soon  brought  to  his 
senses  by  the  thought  of  the  valuable  cargo 
upon  his  person,  and  knowing  full  well 
the  thieving  instincts  of  these  wandering 
tribes,  he  quickly  grasped  his  knife  to  pro- 
tect himself.  Standing,  he  looked  about 
him,  but  could  see  nothing,  although  he 
plainly  heard  the  crunching  of  dry  sticks 
in  the  timber  behind. 

He  decided,  as  it  was  dawn,  and  the  air 
cool  and  bracing,  that  he  would  breakfast 
and  move  on.  Rapidly  he  rode  along, 
stopping  during  the  hottest  part  of  the 
day,  and  sleeping  wherever  he  found  him- 
self when  night  fell,  until  he  reached  a 
small  town  on  the  outskirts  of  Koodooz. 
He  could  not  bear  the  thought  of  entering 
the  town;  for  in  these  last  days  of  travel, 
he  had  thought  much  of  his  old  friend 


THE  ROSE   GARDENS.  53 

Bokhatan,  now  no  more.  And  what 
seemed  to  his  tender,  loving  heart  more 
tragic  yet,  was  that  he  previously  was  bent 
upon  the  conquest  of  that  nation,  now  to 
him  most  dear,  where  lived  his  sweet 
Drusa  and  her  noble  father. 

This  was  the  country  which  was  now  the 
only  goal  for  him  to  strive  for.  He  made 
stops  in  Afghanistan  only  where  the  need  of 
food  required  it,  for  he  was  anxious  to  press 
on  into  Persia.  Having  crossed  the  frontier, 
he  was  still  more  anxious  to  arrive  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  court  where  his  boyhood  had 
been  passed.  Remembering  clearly  the  sad 
tragedy  which  had  forced  him  to  leave  this 
country,  he  naturally  had  no  thought  of  going 
to  the  palace. 

As  all  of  his  companions  on  his  journey  to 
Abdamousa's  court  had  been  slain  in  battle, 
there  were  few  who  could  know  him,  and  few 
of  his  friends  remained.  While  riding  along 
alone  he  had  thought  much ;  and  things  long 
since  forgotten  returned  to  his  mind.  In 


54  THE   GOLDEN   TALJSMAN. 

recalling  the  friends  whom  he  had  known, 
and  who  might  still  remain  true  to  him,  his 
old  master  in  books  came  nearest  to  his  heart. 
He  it  was  who  had  helped  him  to  decipher 
the  manuscripts  which  were  considered  neces- 
sary to  be  read  by  a  youth,  and  which  con- 
stituted his  education. 

Camduatim  lived  in  what  might  be  called  a 
chalet  on  the  hillside  overlooking  the  town. 
With  him  Hakkouki  determined  to  make  his 
residence,  during  which  time  he  should  be 
able  to  procure  whatever  knowledge  was 
necessary  toward  fulfilling  the  mission  upon 
which  he  had  been  sent.  Hakkouki  arrived 
at  the  chalet  of  Camduatim  late  at  night. 
The  house 'was  situated  on  the  side  of  a  hill 
not  far  from  the  palace,  and  overlooking  it. 
Hakkouki  had  especially  timed  his  arrival  in 
the  city  that  he  might  pass  through  it  after 
dark,  as  he  did  not  wish  to  be  recognized  by 
any  of  his  former  acquaintances. 

Up  the  dark  and  straggling  path  Hakkouki 
clambered,  having  been  obliged  to  dismount, 


THE  ROSE   GARDENS.  55 

as  the  night  was  too  dark  to  see  where  the 
road  made  its  sharp  turns.  Much  of  the  day 
he  had  walked  beside  his  horse,  talking 
quietly  to  this  one  companion  of  his  journey, 
who  was  more  than  dear  to  him  from  his  as- 
sociation with  the  Princess,  who  had  selected 
him  herself. 

Hakkouki  with  difficulty  found  the  low 
entrance  to  the  house  of  Camduatim.  The 
two  doors  joined  in  the  middle  from  top  to 
bottom,  and  opened  from  the  outside.  But 
when  Hakkouki  pressed  upon  them,  some  • 
obstacle  within  prevented  them  opening.  The 
obstacle  was  in  the  form  of  a  very  heavy  and 
sleepy  man,  who  lay  stretched  across  what 
would  have  been  the  threshold,  had  there 
been  one.  In  reality  there  was  only  the 
paved  courtyard  within,  the  same  as  outside, 
ancient  and  irregular,  hard  and  cold,  but 
apparently  luxurious  to  the  sleeper. 

"Camduatim!    Camduatim!"    called   Hak- 
kouki. 

In  time  much   noise   and   confusion,  com- 


56  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

mands  and  cries,  were  heard  in  language 
which  Hakkouki  had  not  spoken  for  so  long ; 
and  which  to  his  unaccustomed  ear  seemed 
strange  and  harsh.  Ah!  How  different  from 
the  soft  tones  in  the  household  of  his  sweet 
Drusa ! 

A  small  gleam  of  light  appeared  in  the 
opening,  and  a  crowd  of  people  filled  the 
inner  court.  They  were  servants  who  slept 
in  their  daily  clothing,  ready  at  all  mo- 
ments to  protect  their  master's  house  against 
intruders. 

"Who  art  thou?"  called  a  voice  from 
within.  But  this  question  Hakkouki  would 
not  answer,  for  his  person  was  not  safe  in 
Persia. 

Since  he  would  not  give  his  name,  Cam- 
duatim  was  not  aroused,  nor  would  he  be 
for  an  unknown  wanderer.  Whereupon 
Hakkouki  began,  in  his  strong,  deep-toned 
voice,  to  sing  the  sweet  ballads  of  his  youth, 
which  Camduatim  had  himself  taught  him. 
The  din  in  the  courtyard  ceased  while  Hak- 


THE   ROSE    GARDENS.  57 

kouki  sang,  but  at  the  end  of  the  song  the 
noise  began  again,  and  Hakkouki  could  hear 
the  sound  of  weapons  clanking  on  the  stones, 
when  suddenly  the  doors  were  opened,  and 
his  errand  asked  of  him.  For  answer  he 
took  up  his  refrain  again,  and  suddenly  his 
heart  was  gladdened  by  the  voice  of  Cam- 
duatim,  speaking  in  French,  the  language 
used  much  at  the  court,  and  not  known  to 
servants. 

"  Ah,  fair  youth,  where  art  thou  ?  My 
beloved  son,  for  whom  I  have  longed  this 
many  a  day.  Quickly  will  I  come  to  give 
thee  entrance ! " 

Soon  he  appeared  in  the  doorway,  and 
Hakkouki  felt  himself  held  in  the  welcom- 
ing embrace  of  the  old  man.  All  night  the 
two  friends  sat  in  converse.  Hakkouki  told 
Camduatim  of  his  experience  after  having 
left  the  court,  of  the  tragedy  at  Abdamousa's 
palace,  of  his  friend  Bokbatan,  and  tbeir 
battle  for  conquest,  of  the  wonderful  king- 
dom he  had  visited,  and  his  hope  to  win 


58  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

his  bride  by  fulfilling  the  mission  upon 
which  he  had  been  sent. 

Camduatim  was  a  man  well  versed  in  the 
old-time  lore.  He  was,  moreover,  a  friend 
of  the  man  who  procured  for  the  court  all 
sweet  scents  and  perfumes,  from  whom  he 
was  sure  Hakkouki  could  learn  all  which 
was  known  to  the  world. 

This  man  was  old  Ulema,  a  native  of  the 
Ural  district,  who  for  many  years  had  sup- 
plied the  Persian  court  with  perfumes  from 
foreign  lands.  He  lived  in  an  old  deserted 
palace  in  the  mountains  above  Tokat,  in  Tur- 
key, and  the  final  more  delicate  processes  in 
the  preparation  of  these  luxuries  were  thought, 
by  Camduatim,  to  take  place  in  the  old  palace. 

It  was  a  long  and  wearisome  journey 
through  the  mountainous  district  to  Tokat, 
and  Camduatim  would  not  allow  Hakkouki 
to  think  of  setting  out  alone.  Though  Hak- 
kouki was  impatient  to  be  off,  he  was  much 
delighted  by  the  prospect  of  Camduatim's 
companionship. 


THE   ROSE   GARDENS.  59 

Accordingly,  servants  were  sent  ahead  with 
provisions,  to  wait  for  them  in  the  lonely 
stretches  where  villages  were  far  apart,  and 
they  took  the  road  together. 

"  My  son,"  said  Camduatim,  when  they 
were  nearing  the  end  of  their  journey,  "  I 
have  not  thought  it  best  to  make  known  to 
thee  previously  the  danger  of  meeting  with 
robber  tribes.  But  we  are  nearing  Tokat, 
and  about  this  region  the  lawless  men  of  the 
border  are  prone  to  plunder  at  will.  Much 
discretion  must  we  now  use,  travelling  at 
night  and  in  silence." 

They  passed  places  which  had  recently 
been  used  as  camps  by  large  numbers  of 
men,  and  upon  entering  Tokat,  found  the 
town  in  an  uproar.  The  robbers,  composed 
of  many  tribes,  had  made  a  combined  effort 
to  plunder  the  city.  The  panic-stricken  in- 
habitants were  driven  from  their  houses,  and 
the  property  of  the  rich  stolen.  These  peo- 
ple robbed  were  principally  Armenians,  a 
race  foreign  to  the  Mohammedans  in  their 


60  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

religion,  who  are  hated  by  them,  and  their 
riches  coveted.  The- disturbance  of  the  town 
allowed  Camduatim  and  Hakkouki  to  pass 
through  it  unknown  and  unquestioned.  They 
made  their  way  quickly  to  the  outskirts, 
where,  by  the  mountain  path,  they  might 
proceed  to  Ulema's  castle. 

At  last,  in  a  sheltered  spot,  they  rested  to 
recover  from  the  awful  sights  of  pillage  and 
bloodshed  which  they  had  lately  witnessed. 
The  horrors  recalled  to  Hakkouki  the  mem- 
ory of  his  battle  at  the  entrance  to  Drusa's 
kingdom.  The  life  among  these  peace-loving 
people  had  banished  from  his  mind  all 
thoughts  of  conquest  of  other's  rights,  or 
even  of  dissension  with  his  fellow-beings. 

"  And  this,"  said  Hakkouki,  "  was  what  I 
called  civilization  when  I  went  forth  to  con- 
quer barbarians  in  the  region  of  the  Kaffiris." 

"  Civilization  is  Heaven,"  said  Camduatim. 

"And  I  have  found  it  in  my  enchanted 
kingdom,"  answered  Hakkouki. 

But  old  Camduatim  shook  his  head  sadly, 


THE   ROSE   GARDENS.  61 

for  Hakkouki's  wild  enthusiasm  for  his 
adopted  country  seemed  to  Camduatim  bor- 
dering on  madness. 

Just  as  the  sun  was  fading  behind  the  dis- 
tant hills,  leaving  its  brilliant  afterglow  in 
the  sky  above,  Hakkouki  and  Camduatim 
came  suddenly  upon  the  palatial  ruin  where 
lived  Ulema.  Crowning  the  summit  of  the 
hill,  in  magnificent  isolation  stood  the  ivy- 
grown  structure.  Before  the  great  entrance, 
on  the  courtyard  overgrown  with  weeds, 
Ulema  walked,  deep  in  thought,  alone. 

"  Nola !     Ulema !  "  called  Camduatim. 

Extending  both  arms  in  welcome,  with  a 
brilliant  smile  lighting  his  old  and  withered 
visage,  Ulema  hurried  toward  them. 

"  Most  beloved  friend,  welcome  !  "  said  he, 
"  and  thou,  fair  youth,  art  thou  from  Heaven 
direct?" 

"  Indeed,  I  am  that,"  said  Hakkouki, 
laughing,  for  throughout  his  whole  being  he 
felt  he  lived  only  in  the  memory  of  his  be- 
loved country  and  the  hope  of  his  return  to 


62-  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

it.  But  Camduatim  dispelled  the  old  man's 
wonder. 

"  'Tis  my  pupil,  Hakkouki,  Ulema,  come 
with  me  to  learn  of  thee  more  than  I  can 
teach.  Thy  knowledge  of  sweet  scents  and 
thy  craft  in  such." 

Passing  through  a  long-deserted  banquet 
hall,  where  stood  the  huge  black  table  about 
which  boisterous  men  had  gathered  in  far-dis- 
tant times,  they  were  ushered  into  the  great 
entrance  room.  Opening  from  one  side  a 
small  door  led  into  the  apartments  of  Ulema, 
which  looked  quite  cosey  after  the  dreary 
appearance  of  the  great  hall.  There  were 
couches  upon  which  several  might  sleep,  and 
low  tables  from  which  many  might  be  fed ; 
for  hospitality  reigned  in  Ulema' s  mansion. 

"  A  welcome  to  thee,  my  friends,"  said 
Ulema. 

He  knelt  and  bathed  their  feet  himself, 
and  then  cooked  a  meal  in  their  presence. 
His  delight  at  seeing  his  old  friend  again  was 
almost  childish. 


THE   ROSE  GARDENS.  63 

When  supper  was  over,  Hakkouki  was 
anxious  to  know  what  Ulema  advised,  and 
he  listened  with  impatience  to  the  reminis- 
cences of  the  two  older  men.  Camduatim, 
ever  ready  to  understand  the  wishes  of  those 
about  him,  soon  suggested  the  object  of  their 
visit,  whereupon  Ulema,  carrying  a  torch,  led 
them  through  the  banquet  hall  to  the  other 
side.  Here  they  passed  into  his  laboratory. 
Strange  and  weird  it  seemed,  lighted  by  the 
nickering  torch  held  high  in  Ulema's  right 
hand.  Hakkouki  soon  became  interested  in 
all  which  Ulema  told  him  of  the  materials 
with  which  he  worked.  Everything  seemed 
ancient,  dating  back  to  a  time  long  since 
passed ;  for  the  same  laboratory  had  been 
in  use  in  the  days  when  the  old  palace  was 
full  of  life  and  youth  and  gayety. 

This  science  is  one  long  known,  and  which 
has  changed  little  in  all  the  ages.  Perfumes 
are  to-day  made  just  as  they  were  three  thou- 
sand years  ago.  New  ones  have  been  added, 
and  new  combinations  of  the  old,  but  the 


64  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

essence  of  the  rose,  the  violet,  the  lily  in 
its  purity,  have  no  need  of  change.  Great 
quantities  of  the  material  prepared  for  trans- 
portation in  its  crude  form  were  packed  at 
one  end  of  the  room,  in  the  respective  casks, 
bottles,  or  horns,  whatever  is  best  adapted  for 
shipment.  A  great  caldron  stood  near  by, 
into  which  the  bags  of  rose  petals  were  emp- 
tied to  be  pickled  in  brine.  This  crystallizes 
on  the  surface  of  the  petal,  and  preserves  it 
for  an  indefinite  time.  Here  were  casks  of 
alcohol  to  mix  with  the  otto,  or,  as  it  is 
sometimes  called,  "  attar " ;  here  also  were 
horns  of  civet,  used  with  other  scents  to 
give  them  strength.  These  horns  were  cov- 
ered at  the  wide  end  with  leather,  sewn 
with  rawhide,  and  stopped  at  the  small  end 
with  wooden  plugs.  Here  were  ambergris 
packed  in  jars,  small  Chinese  caddies  of 
musk,  bottles  of  ylang-ylang,  tins  of  va- 
nilla, and  bottles  of  patchouli,  violet,  and 
jasmine,  all  of  which  were  sought  after  by 
the  luxurious  people  of  the  Persian  court, 


STRANGE  AND  WEIRD  IT  SEEMED,  LIGHTED  BY  THE  FLICKERING 
TORCH." 


THE  ROSE   GARDENS.  65 

for  whom  only  Ulema  blended  his  enchant- 
ing perfumes. 

In  one  small  flask,  to  be  sent  to  the  court, 
was  a  perfume  of  greater  value  than  ten  times 
its  weight  in  gold.  Ulema  showed  Hakkouki 
all  which  could  be  seen  by  the  light  of  the 
dim  torch,  and  early  next  morning  he  re- 
sumed his  teaching. 

At  the  end  of  a  week,  when  Ulema  had 
explained  the  processes  and  taught  Hakkouki 
all  that  he  could  learn  without  practical  expe- 
rience, Hakkouki  said  to  the  old  man :  — 

"  Father,  what  must  I  do  to  be  a  master 
in  this  art?" 

"My  son,"  returned  Ulema,  "if  thou  wouldst 
know  this  art  as  no  other  man  hath  ever 
known  it,  thou  must  go  out  into  the  world 
and  study  each  perfume  from  its  beginning. 
Thou  must  visit  every  land  which  produces 
a  perfume,  trace  that  perfume  to  its  source, 
and  learn  by  experience  its  true  value  and 
uses.  I  am  now  an  old  man,  and  such  an 
undertaking  as  this  is  beyond  me,  but  for 


66  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

you,  who  are  young  and  ambitious,  the  task 
should  not  be  impossible." 

"That,  then,  shall  be  my  mission,"  said 
Hakkouki. 

Delighted  that  Hakkouki  was  so  much  in 
earnest,  Ulema  proceeded  to  tell  him  what 
he  knew  of  the  localities  and  productions. 

"  But  whither  first  ?"  asked  Hakkouki. 

Camduatim  suggested  China  for  musk,  or 
the  Indian  Ocean  for  the  lily  of  the  Philip- 
pines. 

"  The  violet  is  most  beautiful,"  said  Hak- 
kouki. "  Why  not  France  ?  " 

Ulema  remained  silent. 

"Which  shall  it  be,  Ulema?"  asked  Hak- 
kouki. 

With  the  light  of  youth  in  his  old  eyes, 
Ulema  bent  toward  them,  and  speaking  in  his 
low,  musical  voice  he  said :  — 

"  The  rose,  the  rose  it  must  be  first.  I  am 
old;  I  know  not  how  long  thou  wouldst  tarry, 
and  I  would  know  of  the  rose  first."  Much 
interested  in  his  subject,  he  continued :  "  The 


THE   ROSE    GARDENS.  67 

rose  grows  everywhere,  and  is  cultivated  for 
its  perfume  in  many  places,  but  nowhere  in 
such  profusion  as  in  Bulgaria.  The  mother  of 
my  beloved  wife  was  a  Turkish  woman  from 
across  the  sea  [meaning  European  Turkey  in 
distinction  from  Asiatic],  and  she  dressed  her 
little  one  in  the  native  costume  of  Bulgaria. 
Roses,  always  roses,  were  the  little  one's 
delight.  A  rosebud  she  was  herself,  but 
never  a  rose,  for  she  was  taken  from  me  in 
our  early  life.  Yet  I  am  not  alone,  for  her 
rose-like  presence  lives  within  my  heart." 

Silence  ensued,  broken  only  by  the  old 
man's  sandals.  For  he  had  risen  in  his  gentle 
emotion  and  paced  the  room  slowly. 

"  Then,"  said  Hakkouki,  rising  to  his  feet, 
"  the  rose  it  shall  be.  I  will  go  first  to  Bul- 
garia." 

The  old  man,  without  words  in  answer, 
went  to  his  cupboard  and  brought  therefrom 
an  earthen  jug  bearing  a  peculiar  label. 
Placing  it  upon  the  table,  he  went  again  and 
brought  strange  earthen  mugs.  He  filled 


68  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

them  with  a  white  liquor  from  the  jug,  and 
handed  one  each  to  Hakkouki  and  Camdua- 
tira.  Then  lifting  his  own  mug,  he  said :  — 

"  Let  us  drink  to  the  success  of  the  trip  in 
old  Bulgarian  raki." 

It  was  a  solemn  occasion  to  old  Ulema,  and 
his  heart  was  stirred  deeply. 

Early  the  next  morning  they  set  forth. 
Camduatim  and  his  suite  were  to  travel  with 
Hakkouki  to  Sentari,  whence  he  should  cross 
the  Bosphorus  to  Constantinople.  Ulema 
went  with  them  to  the  pass,  to  bid  them 
good-by. 

"  Good  luck,  and  a  speedy  return  !  "  called 
he,  his  face  aglow  with  kindness. 

The  journey  to  Sentari  was  long  and  te- 
dious, and  during  the  first  part  so  perilous 
that  they  travelled  chiefly  at  night.  Arriv- 
ing in  Sentari,  Camduatim  looked  about  to 
find  a  residence  for  himself,  for  he  had  de- 
termined to  await  Hakkouki's  return  in 
that  city. 

"  My  son,  thou  must  change   thy    dress," 


THE  ROSE   GARDENS.  69 

said  he.  "  For  travellers  in  Europe  had  best 
not  be  too  Oriental  in  their  clothing." 

A  change,  indeed,  it  was  when  Hakkouki 
appeared  with  his  hair  and  beard  shorn,  and 
a  foreign  dress  in  ill  accord  with  his  pictu- 
resque style.  These  things,  however,  troubled 
him  little,  for  he  was  without  vanity.  His 
valuable  clothing  he  left  in  Camduatim's  care, 
and  was  thereby  relieved  of  its  weight.  Even 
the  shoes,  of  American  make,  which  he  had 
bought,  did  not  disturb  him,  so  enthusiastic 
was  he  in  his  undertaking. 

After  an  affectionate  farewell  to  Camdua- 
tim,  Hakkouki  took  train  through  Con- 
stantinople to  Philippopolis.  Throughout 
this  section  were  rose  gardens  in  great 
abundance,  but  Hakkouki  wished  to  visit 
those  of  Kasanlik,  where  the  rose  is  pre- 
eminent for  its  beauty,  and  where  the  whole 
country  is  one  great  garden.  The  best  mode 
of  conveyance  was  a  carriage  drawn  by  four 
horses,  which  by  stopping  one  night  at 
Kalofer  (fifty  miles  north  of  Philippopolis) 


70  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

gave  him  a  whole  day's  driving  amidst  the 
most  beautiful  scenery.  The  gardens,  being 
protected  by  the  Balkan  Mountains  from  the 
cold  north  winds,  produce  a  most  luxuriant 
growth. 

He  arrived  in  Kasanlik  at  night,  and  went 
directly  to  the  house  of  M.  Tsmahan,  a  Bulga- 
rian who  spoke  French  and  owned  one  of  the 
largest  gardens.  Although  the  family  had  re- 
tired, he  was  expected  and  greeted  by  the  ser- 
vant in  waiting,  who  gave  him  refreshments 
and  showed  him  his  sleeping  apartment. 

The  next  morning  a  light  tap  on  the 
door  awakened  him.  He  dressed  as  quickly 
as  his  unaccustomed  garments  would  allow, 
and  stepped  immediately  into  the  great 
plank-lined  living  room.  The  room  was 
lighted  from  the  roof  above,  and  had  doors 
leading  to  all  other  parts  of  the  house,  and 
benches  covered  with  cushions  along  the 
walls.  There  were  no  chairs,  decorations,  nor 
pictures,  but  merely  cupboards  in  the  walls 
filled  with  curios  and  works  of  art. 


THE  ROSE   GARDENS.  71 

Mme.  Ismahan,  seated  upon  the  bench, 
bowed  and  smiled  in  a  friendly  manner,  but 
spoke  no  French.  The  raki  was  offered 
first  of  all. 

"  I  have  already  tried  your  famous  raki," 
said  Hakkouki  to  his  host.  "We  drank 
the  success  of  my  journey  in  it  before  I 
left  Turkey." 

M.  Ismahan  was  much  interested ;  but 
when  Hakkouki  told  him  that  old  Ulema 
had  married  the  daughter  of  a  Bulgarian 
woman,  he  was  not  surprised,  for  no  Bul- 
garian marriage  could  be  celebrated  without 
raki.  The  table  was  decorated  with  roses, 
and  even  the  small  maid  who  served  them 
had  roses  in  her  veil,  which  all  the  women 
wear  for  a  headdress. 

After  breakfast  M.  Ismahan  conducted 
Hakkouki  to  the  gardens.  Roses,  roses, 
everywhere,  hanging  from  above,  and  car- 
peting the  ground  upon  which  they  trod ; 
baskets  heaped  with  them,  and  carts  drawn 
by  small  buffalo  laden  with  them,  wreaths 


72  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

of  roses  upon  the  women's  heads,  and 
bunches  thrust  within  the  bows  of  their 
apron  strings ;  all  save  one  girl  wore  roses. 

"  Anita,  conie,"  called  M.  Ismahan. 

The  girl  whom  Hakkouki  noticed  had  no 
decorations  came  in  answer. 

"  Show  M.  Hakkouki  about,  and  tell  Hon- 
dago  to  make  preparations  to  receive  him 
at  the  distillery." 

This  plan  had  been  agreed  upon  at  break- 
fast, as  Hakkouki  wished  to  spend  all  his 
time  among  the  roses,  that  no  part  of  the 
process  of  converting  their  fragrance  into 
a  form  which  could  bear  transportation 
should  be  lost  to  him.  The  "  fair  Anita," 
as  she  was  called  in  the  village,  looked 
shyly  up  at  him,  and  said  in  her  dialect :  — 

"Good  morning." 

Hakkouki  made  answer  "  Bon  jour,"  and 
thereafter  Anita  always  said  "Bon  jour." 
Then  she  beckoned  him  to  follow  and  led  the 
way. 

She  was  a  pale,  delicate  girl,  particularly 


THE  ROSE   GARDENS.  73 

so  beside  her  ruddy-faced  comrades,  dressed 
in  the  highly  colored  and  picturesque  costume 
of  the  peasants.  They  greeted  Hakkouki 
with  smiling  faces  as  he  passed,  and  sang 
merrily  at  their  work. 

When  Anita  found  Hondago  in  charge  of 
a  large  number  of  gatherers,  she  made  known 
to  him  M.  Ismahan's  orders,  and  they  all 
walked  together  through  the  fields  of  roses  to 
the  distillery. 

Distillation  formerly  was  performed  in  the 
open  air;  but  as  at  present  the  business  is 
carried  on  so  extensively,  and  the  localities 
are  subject  to  severe  thunder-storms,  the 
caldrons  are  under  the  cover  of  rude  sheds, 
open  in  front.  These  buildings  are  called 
"  hapus."  Here  Hakkouki  found  to  his  great 
comfort  a  Frenchman  in  charge. 

"  It  gives  me  much  pleasure,"  said  he,  bow- 
ing low,  "  to  explain  to  you  the  process,  M. 
Hakkouki.  Pray  be  seated  and  partake  of 
some  coffee." 

Just  behind  the  great  caldrons,  six  in  num- 


74  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

her,  stood  a  small  table  where  coffee  was 
ready  to  be  served.  The  Frenchman  talked 
constantly  while  Hakkouki  drank  his  coffee. 

Hondago  and  Anita  cast  sly  glances  at  each 
other,  and  seemed  well  content  to  be  left  to 
their  own  society.  The  heat  of  the  braziers 
under  the  caldrons  was  intense,  and  Hak- 
kouki also  found  that  the  customary  coffee  at 
ten  o'clock  on  a  hot  morning  was  not  particu- 
larly agreeable. 

Hakkouki  rose  and  stood  without  the  shed 
beside  the  Frenchman,  who  talked  incessantly. 

"  Yes,  we  put  many  bushels  of  roses  to  the 
value  of  one  hundred  pounds  in  English 
money  into  the  caldrons  at  once.  These  are 
previously  half  filled  with  warm  water,  which 
is  kept  at  an  even  temperature,  and  regulated 
by  a  thermometer.  They  must  be  tightly 
covered." 

"What  passes  through  these  tubes?" 
asked  Hakkouki.  For  from  the  cover  of 
each  caldron  were  iron  tubes  running  to  an 
open  trough  of  tin  filled  with  cold  water. 


THE   ROSE   GARDENS.  75 

"  That  is  the  vapor  from  the  roses,"  said 
the  Frenchman.  "  It  passes  into  the  water 
and  drops  from  the  troughs  into  the  large 
glass  bottles  which  you  see  placed  to  receive 
it."  The  man  seemed  much  delighted  that' 
he  had  so  attentive  a  listener.  "  It  requires 
three  distillations  before  the  oil  from  the  rose 
vapor  rises  to  the  top  of  the  water  in  the 
troughs.  This  is  run  into  leaden  bottles, 
hermetically  sealed,  and  it  is  ready  for 
shipment." 

"  And  that,"  said  Hakkouki,  "  is  the  pure 
perfume  of  the  roses  in  the  form  of  oil." 

He  bade  the  Frenchman  good  day,  and  to 
tell  the  truth,  was  as  much  pleased  to  return 
to  his  untalkative  companions  Anita  and 
Hondago,  as  he  had  been  a  short  time  before 
to  meet  the  garrulous  Frenchman.  There 
was  something  particularly  enjoyable  to  Hak- 
kouki in  the  silent  companionship  of  these 
two,  who  spoke  no  word  while  he  was  near. 
He  understood  them  well,  without  the  use  of 
words.  How  much  their  faces  and  gestures 


76  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

meant !  How  easy  for  him  to  make  known 
his  wishes  to  them,  and  in  the  meantime 
the  restful  peace  of  the  gardens  spoke  vol- 
umes to  him.  Hakkouki  wished  to  know  all 
which  concerned  the  cultivation  of  the  rose, 
its  best  soil  and  all  the  climatic  and  agricul- 
tural conditions  and  necessities.  Much  of  this 
Hondago  knew  and  could  show  him. 

Hakkouki  liked  to  lie  upon  a  heap  of  roses, 
and  watch  these  light-hearted  and  sunny-faced 
workers,  as  they  packed  the  roses  in  great 
bags  to  be  sent  away  for  distillation  else- 
where. Day  after  day  he  stayed  on,  and  the 
"fair  Anita,"  who  lived  at  M.  Ismahan's 
house,  and  often  served  at  table,  went  each 
day  back  and  forth  with  him  to  the  rose 
gardens.  Here  he  would  often  lie  upon  his 
fragrant  bed  and  dream.  It  was  all  so  beau- 
tiful, this  fairyland  of  roses.  He  listened  to 
the  merry  songs  of  the  gatherers,  and  read 
from  their  faces  their  lives.  Here  was  a 
woman  bending  down,  clipping  the  roses 
quickly  from  the  stems,  while  a  small  child 


THE  ROSE   GARDENS.  77 

seated  beside  her  twisted  the  roses  in  and  out 
the  coarse  home-made  lace  of  her  chemisette. 

"Ah !  how  happy  I  am,"  said  the  woman's 
face.  "Here  is  my  baby,  whom  I  love,  and 
there,  in  the  field,  just  within  my  sight,  is 
her  father.  Ah!  how  happy  we  are!" 
And  the  merry  voice  carolled  its  joy,  just 
as  a  bird  carols  its  song  of  life  and  love 
and  happiness. 

Hakkouki  loved  to  watch  their  glances, 
and  find  who  were  united  in  families,  who 
by  marriage,  and  who  soon  would  be  by 
marriage.  In  the  last  category  he  placed 
Hondago  and  the  fair  Anita. 

One  day,  lying  there  watching  her,  he 
said  to  himself,  "And  why  does  she  not 
wear  a  wreath  of  roses  as  the  other  women 
do?  She  would  look  so  pretty  in  it.  The 
bright  color  would  light  up  her  fair  face." 
And  so  he  plucked  some  of  the  smallest, 
pinkest  buds,  and  twined  their  stems  to- 
gether. It  was  a  pleasant  task,  and  when 
Anita  came  to  him,  telling  him  it  was  time 


78  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

to  go,  he  rose,  and  placed  the  wreath  upon 
her  head.  Then  he  stood  back  to  admire, 
but  ,  the  fair  Anita  had  grown  suddenly 
fairer.  In  an  instant  she  had  turned  as 
pale  as  death.  As  she  looked  him  fairly 
in  the  eyes,  however,  the  bright  red  color 
leaped  into  her  face,  and  her  eyes  darted  a 
strange  shy  glance  at  him.  Though  she 
let  the  wreath  remain  on  the  homeward 
walk,  the  telltale  color  overspread  her 
countenance  as  she  passed  her  comrades, 
and  instead  of  singing  in  her  usual  merry 
way,  she  grew  silent.  Hakkouki,  interested 
as  he  was  in  acquiring  information,  going 
about  among  the  farmers  of  the  surround- 
ing country,  and  studying  the  growth  of 
the  rose,  thought  no  more  about  the  episode 
of  the  wreath. 

He  was  therefore  much  amazed  one  even- 
ing, when,  passing  Cloister  Trojan,  he  was 
suddenly  seized  from  behind,  and  in  an  in- 
stant thrust  through  a  small  door  into  the 
monastery.  Here  he  was  thrown  to  one 


THE  ROSE   GARDENS.  79 

side  into  a  dark  cell,  and  the  doors  shut 
upon  him.  He  felt  he  was  alone,  but  as 
his  eyes  became  accustomed  to  the  dark- 
ness, he  saw  a  skull,  beside  it  another,  and 
yet  another,  and  then  he  saw  that  the  end 
of  the  cell  was  heaped  with  skulls,  from 
floor  to  ceiling.  It  was  a  grewsome  picture, 
and  to  Hakkouki  a  particularly  painful  one. 
So  full  of  life  and  youth  was  he,  that  death 
seemed  an  unreal  and  far-away  thing.  He 
listened,  and  heard  in  the  distance  the  peal 
of  an  organ,  and  many  male  voices  chant- 
ing "  Gospodin  pomilui "  (God  help  us). 

Hakkouki  moved  in  the  direction  of  the 
sounds,  and  finding  the  door,  he  threw  him- 
self fiercely  against  it.  It  gave  way  easily 
before  his  vigorous  strength.  Still  guided 
by  the  music,  he  felt  his  way  along  a  dark 
corridor,  until  he  found  another  door.  This 
opened  into  a  dimly  lighted  chapel,  where, 
upon  their  knees,  the  forty-five  monks  of 
the  Brotherhood  knelt,  repeating  "  Gospodin 
pomilui." 


80  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

"Trapped,"  said  Hakkouki  to  himself. 
There  seemed  to  him  no  possible  chance  of 
escape  from  the  place.  Though  M.  Ismahan 
would  doubtless  undertake  his  release  when 
he  heard  of  his  plight,  delay  was  certain, 
and  in  the  meantime  he  knew  not  what  to 
expect. 

When  the  brothers  rose  from  their  devo- 
tions, one  of  them,  Brother  Partenije  by 
name,  walked  in  a  leisurely  and  dignified 
manner  toward  Hakkouki. 

"  Thou  art  Hakkouki,"  said  he  in  French, 
without  showing  any  surprise.  "  Thou  hast 
been  sent  here  to  expiate  thy  crime." 

"Pray  what  is  my  crime?"  asked  Hak- 
kouki, much  astonished. 

"Ah!  dost  thou  not  know?"  In  a  kind- 
lier tone  he  continued,  "  With  us,  when  a 
girl's  hand  is  being  sought  in  marriage,  she 
wears  no  wreath;  but  when  she  has  given 
her  answer,  the  chosen  man  has  the  right 
to  place  one  upon  her  head.  Any  man  who 
infringes  on  the  courtesy  due  his  brother, 


THE  ROSE   GARDENS.  81 

while  he  is  waiting  for  his  answer,  is  a 
coward.  You  have  won  the  bride,  and 
the  notice  of  your  betrothal  is  placed  upon 
the  parish  church ;  but  Hondago  is  not  a 
man  to  be  so  vilely  used.  So  good  and 
true  and  devout  is  he  in  his  adherence  to 
the  forms  of  the  church,  that  we  have 
taken  charge  of  you  to  protect  him." 

"I  did  not  know  the  custom,"  said  Hak- 
kouki.  "  I  had  no  thought  of  tempting 
Anita.  I  placed  the  wreath  upon  her  head 
for  beauty's  sake  alone." 

And  Brother  Partenije  believed  him. 

"  Show  me  the  notice  of  my  betrothal,  and 
I  will  make  it  right,"  said  Hakkouki. 

The  monk  hesitated  for  a  moment,  and 
then  he  led  Hakkouki  out  into  the  night. 
After  a  long  walk  they  reached  the  small 
chapel  of  the  parish.  There  hung  the  no- 
tice surely,  placed  there  by  the  parish  Father: 
"Hakkouki  weds  Anita  at  close  of  mass  on 
Monday." 

For  in  Bulgaria  the  maiden  sets  the  day. 


82  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

Hakkouki  got  out  of  his  scrape  by  inducing 
the  monk  to  make  a  change  in  the  placard. 
The  following  morning  this  notice  met  the 
astonished  gaze  of  the  passers-by  :  "  Hondago 
weds  Anita  at  close  of  mass  on  Monday." 

"  For,"  reasoned  the  practical  Brother  Par- 
tenije,  "  since  she  has  given  her  answer  by 
allowing  Hakkouki's  wreath  to  remain  upon 
her  head,  she  is  ready  for  marriage." 

Hakkouki  wended  his  way  homeward, 
reaching  there  just  before  daybreak,  but  for 
a  long  time  he  was  unable  to  free  himself 
from  the  grim  impression  which  the  cloister 
had  produced  upon  him. 

"  Thou  art  late,"  said  M.  Ismahan,  when 
Hakkouki  entered  the  living  room.  These 
friendly  people  constantly  made  use  of  the 
familiar  "  thou "  in  addressing  Hakkouki. 
u  I  had  thought  of  showing  thee  my  store- 
room." 

So,  leading  the  way  after  breakfast  through 
one  of  the  many  doors,  they  entered  the 
room  where  the  value  of  many  thousands  of 


THE   ROSE   GARDENS.  83 

dollars  was  kept.  This  was  in  the  form  of 
"otto."  The  liquid  was  generally  sealed 
in  leaden  bottles,  but  there  were  some  small 
glass  ones  which  showed  the  deep  gold  color 
of  the  oil.  The  glass  bottles  were  reserved 
for  Eastern  use,  the  contents  of  which  will 
keep  for  eighty  years  in  good  condition. 
The  leaden  ones  were  for  shipment  to  Lon- 
don, Paris,  and  all  the  great  centres  of  per- 
fume manufacturing.  The  strong  subtle 
odor,  although  pleasant  at  first,  soon  became 
oppressive,  and  produced  giddiness  in  the 
head. 

Strange  to  say,  the  peasants  dislike  the 
perfume  which  they  themselves  manufacture. 
It  clings  tenaciously  even  in  the  open  air. 
A  thousand  different  scents  a  few  drops  of 
this  thick  rich  oil  have  in  them. 

Hakkouki  was  very  grateful  to  M.  Isma- 
han  for  all  the  attention  he  had  shown  him, 
and  the  opportunities  he  had  given  him  to 
obtain  the  information  he  desired,  though 
he  was  much  distressed  by  the  incident  of 


84  THE   G 'OLDEN   TALISMAN. 

the  wreath.  He  was  anxious  to  find  an 
opportunity  for  explaining  his  ignorance 
of  their  customs,  and  regret  for  what  had 
happened  through  it,  when  upon  entering 
the  living  room  Anita  walked  toward  them. 
There  was  no  appearance  of  embarrassment 
about  her,  as  upon  former  occasions.  She 
spoke  to  M.  Ismahan,  who  in  turn  said  to 
Hakkouki :  — 

. "  Anita  tells  me  she  is  to  marry  Hondago 
on  Monday,  and  wishes  you  to  dance  at  her 
wedding." 

This  delighted  Hakkouki,  as  he  had 
already  heard  of  the  "  Horadantz,"  as  they 
called  it.  Moreover,  he  was  overjoyed  that 
Anita  was  so  "  reasonable." 

His  experience  with  the  daughter  of  the 
King  of  Abdamousa  had  led  him  to  fear  a 
similar  possible  upheaval  among  these  quiet 
people  in  Bulgaria.  "  They  are  certainly 
more  civilized,"  said  Hakkouki  to  himself. 
And  then  he  wondered  if  it  were  better 
so.  He  was  fast  becoming  educated  by 


THE  ROSE   GARDENS.  85 

his  travels,  and  was  already  beginning  to 
moralize. 

Anita's  wedding  was  delightful.  The  girls 
in  their  white  veils  and  chemisettes,  heavily 
embroidered,  short  skirts  and  brilliantly  col- 
ored aprons,  with  their  massive  ornaments 
on  neck  and  belt,  fairly  radiated  joy  from 
their  merry  faces.  After  the  ceremony,  the 
procession,  passing  untler  the  extended  arms 
of  Brother  Partenije,  who  blessed  the  mar- 
riage, broke  into  groups  before  the  church. 

Then  the  young  people  formed  circles, 
and  danced  on  the  green  to  the  music  of 
the  shrieking  flutes  and  bagpipes.  The  gay 
spirits  of  the  company  knew  no  bounds. 
The  young  men  in  short  jackets  and  full 
breeches  to  the  knee,  red  sashes  bound 
tightly  about  their  white  shirts,  stood  each 
between  two  girls.  They  joined  in  line,  not 
by  hands,  but  by  catching  the  fingers  under 
the  sashes  of  their  next  neighbors.  The  lit- 
tle children  danced  behind  them  in  a  circle, 
throwing  long  ropes  of  roses  about  the  heads 


86  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

and  shoulders  of  those  in  front.  Never  was 
a  girl  happier  than  the  fair  Anita  upon  her 
wedding  day. 

The  following  day  Hakkouki  was  to  leave, 
but  the  sky  shed  tears  of  woe  that  he  was  to 
be  known  in  this  friendly  village  no  more. 
So  M.  Ismahan  induced  him  to  stay  another 
day,  saying:  — 

"  The  heavens  weep  indeed,  and  our  hos- 
pitality will  not  permit  us  to  allow  you  to 
depart  in  discomfort." 

To  compensate  for  the  gloomy  and  wet 
day,  all  nature's  influences  combined  to  make 
Hakkouki's  regrets  more  poignant  by  bath- 
ing this  beautiful  valley  the  next  day  in  the 
peculiarly  glorious  sunshine  which  follows  a 
storm  in  that  region.  There  was  exhilara- 
tion in  the  light,  crisp  air.-  Hakkouki,  with 
half  the  village  to  bid  him  "  Godspeed,"  took 
his  seat  in  the  same  heavy  vehicle,  drawn  by 
four  horses,  in  which  he  had  entered  the 
town.  The  same  policemen  rode  one  on  each 
side  of  him,  and  his  picturesque  driver,  in  his 


THE  ROSE   GARDENS.  87 

short  fur  jacket,  which  is  worn  at  all  seasons, 
climbed  to  his  seat.  He  cracked  his  whip, 
and  Hakkouki  turned  his  head  to  hide  the 
tears  which  sprang  to  his  eyes  in  leaving  his 
dear  friends.  Down  the  highroad,  over  the 
rough  pavements  they  rattled.  Waving  caps 
and  friendly  farewells  greeted  his  eyes  and 
ears  on  all  sides,  and  his  last  view  was  one  of 
beauty  and  good-fellowship. 

A  golden  haze  hung  over  the  rain-bedewed 
valley,  and  the  wet  rosebuds,  opening  their 
hearts  to  the  sun,  perfumed  the  air  with 
their  heavy  sweetness.  The  buffaloes  slowly 
trundled  the  creaking  carts  over  the  damp 
grass,  but  the  horses  which  drew  Hakkouki 
flew  on  at  a  breakneck  speed,  never  holding 
up  even  when  crossing  the  numerous  bridges. 
More  powerful  and  enduring  are  these  bridges 
than  those  of  many  other  parts  of  the  world. 
The  unenclosed  rose  fields  stretched  for  miles 
on  either ;side.  Hakkouki  enjoyed  every  mo- 
ment of  the  delightful  journey.  As  he  lay 
back  in  the  carriage,  he  dreamed  of  his  future 


88  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

and  Drusa,  and  was  happy  in  the  thought 
that  every  hour,  every  mile,  brought  him 
nearer  to  her. 

Suddenly  he  heard  the  driver's  "  Brrr,  brrr," 
and  the  carriage  came  to  a  full  stop.  Quick, 
anxious  words,  though  meaningless  to  Hak- 
kouki, were  exchanged.  He  thrust  his  head 
out  of  the  window,  and  saw  a  boy,  evidently 
a  beggar,  pale  with  fright,  wildly  beseeching 
help  and  pointing  to  the  side  of  the  road. 
Hakkouki  stepped  out  of  the  carriage,  and 
going  in  the  direction  which  the  boy  pointed, 
found  a  woman  lying  there  apparently  in 
great  distress. 

"  Ah !  Monsieur,"  said  the  boy,  "  the  driver 
says  you  speak  only  French,  and  I  speak  so 
little.  My  mother  is  French,  and  she  suffers 
so.  She  is  dying,  I  think." 

Near  them  was  a  pile  of  poor  and  much-used 
furniture,  together  with  the  scanty  pots  and 
pans  of  housekeeping.  Hakkouki  knew  the 
situation.  A  family  turned  out  of  house  and 
home  for  non-payment  of  the  church  tax; 


THE  ROSE   GARDENS.  89 

for  still  the  Greek  church  requires  the  tax  law 
to  be  enforced,  especially  on  the  many  Catho- 
lics who  have  come  into  the  province.  Fail- 
ing to  pay  it,  they  are  quickly  turned  out, 
and  the  house  occupied  by  a  family  of  the 
Greek  church. 

"Yes,"  said  the  unfortunate  woman,  "I 
am  dying.  God  help  my  boy."  And  she 
clasped  her  hands  in  agony. 

"  Lift  her  into  the  carriage,"  said  Hak- 
kouki  to  the  driver. 

They  made  her  as  comfortable  as  possible, 
and  Hakkouki  and  the  boy  sprang  quickly  in. 

"  Drive  on  !  "  called  Hakkouki. 

They  stopped  at  the  "hahu"  of  Mehala 
for  food  and  rest,  but  were  unable  to  pro- 
cure more  than  temporary  accommodation 
for  the  poor  woman.  Here  Hakkouki  had 
hoped  to  leave  her  to  die  in  peace,  but  the 
family  were  afraid  of  ill-luck  coming  to 
them,  should  a  Catholic  die  in  their  house. 
The  good  food  and  rest,  however,  had  a  bene- 
ficial effect  upon  both  the  woman  and  Fran- 


90  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

qois,  as  she  called  him,  and  enabled  her  to 
bear  the  journey  to  Kalofer,  where  Hakkouki 
knew  he  could  procure  a  permanent  resting- 
place  for  her  at  the  convent.  The  driver, 
with  his  cap  on  one  side,  and  cigarette  in 
his  mouth,  looked  askance  at  this  "  taking 
up  of  beggars  to  ride  like  princes,"  but  Hak- 
kouki was  not  a  man  to  be  questioned  as  to 
his  acts. 

They  drove  direct  to  the  convent  and  were 
received  in  the  courtyard  by  the  mayor  of 
the  town,  whom  M.  Ismahan  had  notified 
of  Hakkouki's  passage  through  the  town. 
Great  was  his  astonishment  to  behold  the 
beggar  woman  so  carefully  assisted  and  placed 
in  the  care  of  the  good  nuns. 

"  She  is  dying,"  said  Hakkouki,  simply. 

"  Gospodin  pomilui,"  said  the  mayor. 

These  words  brought  very  forcibly  to  Hak- 
kouki the  memory  of  his  experience  in  the 
cell  of  skulls.  He  shuddered  as  he  thought 
of  it.  They  entered  the  receiving  room  of 
the  convent,  with  its  chill  and  uninviting 


THE  ROSE   GARDENS.  91 

appearance.  Here  they  waited  until  they 
should  hear  that  the  woman  had  been  made 
comfortable,  and  then  with  FranQois  crossed 
to  the  hotel  leading  from  the  same  courtyard. 
Francois  was  a  handsome  boy  of  fifteen. 
His  father  had  been  a  Bulgarian.  With  his 
great  eyes  upon  Hakkouki,  he  had  sat  in 
silence  during  the  day's  ride.  Now,  as  he 
was  given  a  place  at  the  table  with  these 
two,  and  knew  that  his  mother  was  among 
friends,  his  heart  overflowed  with  love  and 
gratitude  toward  this  handsome  stranger  with 
humanity  in  his  soul.  Never  had  FranQois 
known  such  kindness.  He  was  to  sleep  in 
the  room  next  to  Hakkouki.  In  the  night, 
unable  to  close  his  eyes,  he  rose  quietly  and 
went  over  to  the  window  to  watch  the  light 
in  the  room  where  they  had  placed  his  be- 
loved mother.  Toward  midnight  he  saw 
one  of  the  nuns  come  to  the  window  and 
open  it,  and  then  the  light  went  out.  And 
then  he  knew  that  the  light  had  also  gone 
out  of  his  mother's  world-beaten  soul. 


92  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

"  She  is  happy  now,"  said  Francois,  softly, 
to  himself,  and  with  no  thought  for  his 
own  grief,  he  went  back  to  his  bed  and  fell 
asleep. 

When  the  mayor  called  to  see  Hakkouki 
in  the  morning,  the  boy  was  still  sleeping. 
Hakkouki,  on  hearing  of  the  woman's  death, 
impulsively  decided  to  take  the  boy  along 
with  him. 

"But,"  said  the  mayor,  "why  not  leave 
him  here  ?  I  will  be  a  friend  to  him,  and 
as  he  is  a  Bulgarian,  he  would  be  more  a 
stranger  in  a  foreign  land."  And  so  it  was 
decided. 

But  when  Francois  awoke,  he  was  incon- 
solable. It  was  a  terrible  blow  to  him  that 
his  friend  had  gone  without  his  seeing  him. 

"  Oh,  why  did  he  go  ? "  he  cried  to  the 
mayor. 

"  But  he  has  left  with  me  a  sum  sufficient 
to  care  for  you  and  have  you  learn  of  books, 
if  you  will,"  said  the  mayor. 

"  But  I  could  have  gone  with  him  as  his 


THE  ROSE   GARDENS.  93 

servant,    and    seen     him     always,"     sobbed 


In  the  meantime,  the  train  was  carrying 
Hakkouki  to  Constantinople.  "  Fast  it  ought 
to  be,  and  fast  it  must  be  that  I  am  travel- 
ling, but  oh,  how  long  it  takes  !  "  said  Hak- 
kouki to  himself.  Crossing  the  Bosphorus 
again,  he  hurried  impatiently  toward  Cam- 
duatim's  house,  where  he  was  received  with 
the  greatest  surprise. 

"  What,"  said  Camduatim,  "  hast  thou 
failed  ?  How  happens  it  that  thou  dost 
return  ?  " 

With  his  notions  of  time  and  travel,  it 
seemed  incredible  that  Hakkouki  had  been 
and  seen  all  that  he  wished  in  so  short  a 
time.  Camduatim  had  settled  into  his  home 
to  study  and  read  of  all  that  Hakkouki  was 
to  see  and  do.  A  life's  work  almost  it 
seemed  to  Camduatim.  Many  days  Hak- 
kouki passed  in  converse  with  Camduatim, 
telling  of  all  he  saw  in  Bulgaria,  of  the 
roses  and  lands,  of  M.  Ismahan*  Anita,  and 


94  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

Francois.  But  not  a  word  did  he  say  of 
the  cell  in  the  cloister.  He  could  almost 
hear  in  his  imagination  Camduatim  say, 
"  Ah  !  the  fiends  !  the  wretches  !  the  dogs !  " 
"  Who  ?  "  Hakkouki  would  ask.  "  The 
Christians!"  Camduatim  would  answer;  and 
Hakkouki  did  not  wish  to  hear  him  say  it, 
for  the  loving  Catholic  people  of  Bulgaria, 
with  their  kindly  ways  and  happy  family 
life,  were  dear  to  him. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

A   DANGEROUS   JOURNEY. 

son,"  said  Camduatim,  "it  is  hard 
to  part  with  thee  again  so  soon, 
when  I  have  so  lately  found  thee." 

"Ah,  indeed,  I  find  it  hard  to  part  with 
thee,"  replied  Hakkouki,  "  but  I  must  go, 
for  the  sooner  I  leave,  the  sooner  I  shall 
return." 

Camduatim  shook  his  head  in  silence,  for 
that  return  meant  not  to  him,  but  to  that 
country  of  the  mountains  which  seemed  to 
him  so  mythical.  Then  would  Hakkouki 
be  known  to  him  no  more.  However,  in 
his  unselfish  love  for  Hakkouki,  he  quickly 
threw  off  his  personal  sorrow,  and  entered 
with  enthusiasm  into  the  plans  for  his 
journey  to  Africa  to  learn  of  civet. 

95 


9G  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

"  I  can  be  of  great  help  to  thee,"  said  he 
at  last.  "  Thou  wilt  need  presentation  to 
those  in  power,  and  having  influence  in 
this  country,  I  can  get  permission  for  thee 
to  travel  as  becomes  thee  in  a  foreign 
land." 

"But,"  said  Hakkouki,  "I  do  not  need 
it.  I  want  to  go  among  the  people,  and 
learn  from  them  and  be  one  of  them.  I 
do  not  want  to  travel  as  a  person  of  distinc- 
tion, in  state.  The  people  will  then  draw 
away  from  me,  and  I  shall  know  nothing 
of  their  life." 

Camduatim,  however,  cautiously  kept  his 
own  counsel.  He  went  forth  early  the  next 
morning  to  procure  what  he  thought  neces- 
sary for  Hakkouki's  comfort,  and  what  was 
still  more  important  to  Camduatim 's  peace 
of  mind,  Hakkouki's  safety  in  travelling  in 
this  unknown  country.  Information  was 
sent  to  Massowah,  the  town  on  the  coast 
of  Abyssinia  where  Hakkouki  was  to  land. 
This  was  the  principal  port  of  the  Italian 


A   DANGEROUS  JOURNEY.  97 

colony  which  was  then  powerful  in  Africa. 
The  colony  was  called  by  the  picturesque 
name  of  "  Colonia  Eritrea,"  and  was  pre- 
sided over  by  an  Italian  governor.  To 
him  by  letter  Camduatim  appealed  that, 
upon  Hakkouki's  arrival,  he  should  be  pro- 
vided with  a  sufficient  escort  to  insure  his 
safety. 

Camduatim's  previous  knowledge  of  Af- 
rica had  been  meagre,  and  all  day  he  passed 
going  from  one  person  to  another  in  Sen- 
tari,  constantly  more  and  more  amazed  as 
he  learned  of  the  conditions  of  life  which 
existed  in  that  savage  country. 

At  night,  as  he  sat  with  Hakkouki  at 
their  repast,  he  was  surprised  at  what 
seemed  taciturnity  on  the  part  of  Hak- 
kouki. His  usual  cheerful  disposition  was 
entirely  changed.  The  explanation  came 
in  Hakkouki's  remark:  — 

"  I  must  start  early  to-morrow  morning, 
and  I  wished  much  to  be  with  thee  to-day. 
Thou  hast  been  away  the  entire  day." 


98  THE    GOLDEN    TALISMAN. 

"But,"  said  Camduatim,  "  thou  couldst 
not  go  without  thy  papers.  Thou  couldst 
not  leave  the  port.  I  have  done  much 
which  will  help  thee." 

In  the  enthusiasm  of  youth,  his  impa- 
tience to  combat  with  the  world,  and  that 
confidence  in  his  power  to  combat  victori- 
ously which  is  so  mighty  before  the  great 
teacher,  experience,  visits  a  man,  Hakkouki 
had  little  gratitude  for  the  old  man's  care 
and  caution.  Later  he  carne  to  appreciate 
it. 

Arriving  in  Massowah,  the  Governor  of 
the  colony  boarded  the  steamer  to  meet 
him,  taking  him  to  his  own  house.  The 
town  is  located  upon  three  coral  islands, 
and  is  often  compared  to  Venice,  although 
more  picturesque  in  its  surroundings.  The 
sea  to  the  east,  and  the  beautiful  Abyssinian 
Mountains  to  the  west,  present  an  impos- 
ing view.  The  old  Egyptian  architecture 
here  and  there  interspersed  by  recently 
built  Italian  edifices  lends  a  peculiarly 


A    DANGEROUS  JOURNEY.  99 

characteristic  touch,  while  the  various  styles 
of  dress  of  these  people  of  all  nations  give 
color  and  charm  to  the  scene. 

Hakkouki  found  the  climate  delightful, 
warm,  and  healthful,  and  the  town  free 
from  the  terrible  pests  of  insects  and  vermin 
which  are  so  prevalent  in  hot  countries.  The 
Governor  had  provided  an  interpreter,  one 
Ahmed  by  name.  He  was  an  Arab  who  had 
lived  much  in  Persia,  but,  having  had  a  na- 
tive Abyssinian  for  a  mother,  he  had  passed 
a  part  of  his  youth  inland,  and  spoke  the 
dialects  of  the  mountainous  districts.  Hak- 
kouki looked  with  much  interest  upon  this 
man,  who  was  to  be  his  constant  companion. 

"  Is  he  to  be  also  a  friend  ? "  Hakkouki 
asked  himself.  Ahmed  presented  an  unre- 
sponsive appearance,  and  Hakkouki's  ques- 
tion remained  for  many  a  day  unanswered. 

"  I  have  made  arrangements  for  your 
journey,"  said  the  Governor,  as  they  sat 
about  his  hospitable  board.  "  The  men, 
mules,  and  camels  are  camped  just  without 


100  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

the  town,  from  where  we  are  to  despatch 
them  early  to-morrow  morning.  They  must 
start  in  advance  of  you." 

"  How  is  that  ? "    asked  Hakkouki. 

"  Why,  you  are  to  go  by  train,"  and  the 
Governor  laughed.  "  Ah  !  you  thought  we 
did  not  have  trains  in  Africa?  Well,  you 
shall  see." 

The  Governor  was  proud  of  the  progress 
made  by  the  Italians.  They  had  built  a  road 
of  twenty-seven  kilometres,  crossing  that 
strip  of  country  known  as  the  Samhar,  the 
horrors  of  which  have  been  told  by  all  trav- 
ellers in  these  parts. 

"  You  will  have  much  to  see,"  said  Ahmed, 
who  was  in  the  gayest  of  spirits  in  antici- 
pation of  his  journey  "  homeward,"  as  he 
called  it. 

He  flung  back  his  new  "  shamma,"  expos- 
ing his  sinewy  brown  arm.  He  had  arrayed 
himself  in  this  native  garment,  which  is 
similar  to  the  Roman  toga,  because  it  was 
the  dress  of  his  own  people.  Ahmed's 


A    DANGEROUS  JOURNEY.  101 

shamma  was  made  of  pure  white  cotton, 
and  had  a  strip  of  turkey  red  down  the 
front.  This  is  an  emblem  of  Christianity 
among  the  Abyssinians,  representing  the 
blood  of  Christ.  A  pair  of  short  white  cot- 
ton drawers  completed  his  costume. 

"  Why,  what  is  that,  Ahmed  ? "  asked  the 
Governor,  pointing  to  a  short  leather  jacket, 
tossed  over  the  divan  upon  which  Ahmed 
sat. 

There  was  a  look  of  hesitation  upon  his 
handsome  face. 

"  It  is  my  coat,"  said  he.  "  It  is  so  long 
since  I  have  worn  the  shamma,  I  thought 
best  to  provide  another  garment,  as  it  is 
always  colder  in  the  mountains." 

He  turned  and  repeated  this  answer  to 
Hakkouki  in  Persian,  and  added,  "  You  will 
wear  the  native  dress  also,  Fitaurari?" 

This  title  means  "  General "  in  Abyssinia, 
and  Ahmed  used  it  constantly  in  addressing 
Hakkouki.  But  it  was  some  time  before 
Hakkouki  learned  that  Ahmed  himself  had 


102  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

the  coat  of  a  general.  It  was  very  hand- 
some. Curious  figures  cut  from  green  and 
yellow  leather  were  sewed  upon  a  red  leather 
foundation.  All  about  the  edge  was  a  fringe 
of  tiny  tongueless  silver  bells,  and  it  had  a 
silver  filigree  clasp. 

"  Perhaps  it  is  just  as  well  for  you  to  wear 
the  coat,"  said  the  Governor,  slowly.  Ahmed 
was  well  known  to  him,  and  he  saw  no 
reason  to  doubt  his  good  intentions. 

"I  think,  on  the  whole,  Hakkouki,  it 
might  be  well  for  you  to  wear  the  native 
dress  also,"  said  the  Governor. 

Hakkouki  decided  at  once  to  leave  behind 
his  valuable  and  heavy  suit,  which  he  had 
worn  away  from  Kaffiristan,  and  had  again 
donned  at  Sentari.  This  would  be  safely 
cared  for  by  the  Governor,  and,  by  exchang- 
ing a  valuable  diamond  into  the  money  of 
the  country,  he  would  have  all  that  would 
be  necessary  or  safe  to  carry.  Presents  for 
priests  or  persons  of  rank  with  whom  he 
might  meet,  the  Governor  offered  kindly  to 


A    DANGEROUS  JOURNEY.  103 

send  him  when  he  should  desire.  There  was 
telegraphic  communication  to  Asmara  and 
other  places. 

The  dinner  completed,  these  three  men, 
of  such  varying  origin,  seated  themselves 
cross-legged  upon  the  veranda  overlooking 
the  brilliantly  illumined  garden  and  fountain 
of  the  inner  court.  The  hookah  was  pro- 
duced, as  all  were  smokers ;  and  with  this 
and  tedge  (a  drink  of  the  natives  served  in 
large  horns)  they  whiled  away  the  evening. 
Ahmed  translated  from  one  to  the  other  in 
a  brilliant,  entertaining  fashion.  He  also 
sang  some  of  his  native  songs  in  a  wild, 
musical  voice.  What  with  his  wit  and  ac- 
complishments, he  was  certainly  a  gay  com- 
panion. 

Early  next  morning  the  mules  which 
Hakkouki  and  Ahmed  were  to  ride  were 
brought  into  the  courtyard.  They  were  to  go 
first  to  the  camp,  there  to  start  off  the  escort, 
and  then,  returning  to  the  city,  go  to  the 
shops,  and  purchase  clothing  for  Hakkouki. 


104  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

Before  mounting,  Hakkouki  stopped  to 
admire  the  trimmings  of  his  white  mule. 
The  blanket  was  similar  to  Ahmed's  coat ; 
the  collar  of  silver,  to  which  many  jingling 
ornaments  were  attached.  Ahmed  rode  in 
true  native  fashion,  one  toe  in  the  small 
stirrup. 

"  I  have  fitted  you  out  as  I  thought  neces- 
sary," said  the  Governor,  "  and  I  have  asked 
Ahmed's  counsel  as  to  what  is  required  in 
parts  of  the  country  I  have  never  visited." 

With  fourteen  camels  to  carry  provisions, 
and  six  mules  for  the  camping  outfits,  twenty 
men  in  charge  of  the  animals  and  eight  men 
with  mules  making  up  the  military  escort, 
it  seemed  to  Hakkouki  that  he  was  well 
provided. 

"  I  am  travelling  like  a  foreign  monarch," 
said  he. 

"  I  believed  an  armed  native  escort  neces- 
sary," said  the  Governor ;  "  for  not  only  may 
you  meet  with  brigands,  but  there  is  internal 
strife  going  on  between  Ras  Alula  and  Ras 


A   DANGEROUS  JOURNEY.  105 

Mangashah  which  we  have  not  yet  been 
able  to  quell.  The  troops  of  Ras  Man- 
gashah are  our  friends.  From  them  you 
may  ask  protection,  but  those  of  Alula 
must  be  avoided." 

The  camp  was  hastily  breaking  up  and 
getting  ready  for  departure,  the  last  of  the 
straggling  muleteers  having  arrived  from 
town.  Hakkouki  and  Ahmed  having  sent 
their  mules  with  the  escort,  mounted  new 
and  very  wild  ones,  and  rode  back  to  town. 
Then  to  the  bazaar  they  went  to  purchase 
Hakkouki's  costume.  It  was  quick  work  to 
buy  the  trousers  and  shamma,  but  the  coat 
was  no  ordinary  effort,  for  the  Governor  was 
determined  to  have  a  certain  one  only. 

"  This  will  do  just  as  well,"  said  Hakkouki, 
pointing  to  one  similar  to  Ahmed's. 

The  remark  was  repeated  by  Ahmed,  but 
the  Governor  paid  no  heed.  He  continued 
to  bargain  and  haggle  and  "  waste  time,"  as 
Hakkouki  thought,  and  at  last  paid  fourteen 
Maria  Theresa  dollars  more  for  the  one  which 


106  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

he  was  determined  to  have.  These  dollars 
are  worth  about  seven  to  the  sovereign. 

Ahmed  explained  that  the  coats  represented 
rank,  and  that  Hakkouki's  must  be  superior 
to  his. 

Hakkouki  donned  his  new  clothes  the 
next  morning.  Over  the  shamma  he 
strapped  on  a  cartridge  belt,  from  which 
was  hung  also  a  short  curving  sword  in  a 
leather  case.  The  Governor  escorted  them 
to  the  railway,  and  bade  them  good-by  as 
they  seated  themselves  in  the  small  carriage. 

The  train  was  made  up  of  a  diminutive 
engine  and  two  carriages  of  Italian  make, 
also  an  open  box-car  which  carried  freight. 
There  was  no  station,  as  during  the  time 
of  year  when  the  train  runs  to  Sahati  there 
is  no  need  of  cover,  for  it  is  then  the  dry 
season.  They  took  their  seats  in  the  car- 
riage in  the  early  morning.  About  midday 
the  train  started.  Over  the  Samhar  they 
slowly  wended  their  way,  past  Otumlo,  a 
village  in  a  sea  of  sand.  This  is  a  collection 


A    DANGEROUS  JOURNEY.  107 

of  round  huts  made  of  every  imaginable  scrap 
of  rubbish,  old  oil  tins,  mats,  and  rags;  past 
Moncullo,  with  its  Swedish  mission  house 
standing  out  conspicuously  amongst  a  similar 
collection  of  huts;  past  Dogali,  celebrated  in 
Italian  annals  for  the  victory  over  Ras  Alula, 
when  he  came  down  from  his  mountain  fast- 
nesses to  drive  them  into  the  sea;  until 
toward  night  the  train  reached  Sahati,  at 
the  foot  of  the  Abyssinian  Mountains. 

From  Sahati,  as  soon  as  the  escort  had 
caught  up  to  them,  they  moved  onward 
toward  Asmara.  They  found  here  a  good 
road,  which  had  been  much  improved  by 
the  Italians,  and  which  had  an  ascent  of 
two  thousand  or  three  thousand  feet  through 
a  country  of  wild  vegetation.  Beneath  the 
trees  the  rich-colored  gladioli  and  long  hang- 
ing orchids  gave  beauty  and  color  to  the 
scene.  At  Ghinda  they  found  a  perfect 
paradise  of  luxuriant  fertility. 

"See,"  said  Ahmed,  looking  upward, 
"there  is  Asmara." 


108  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

Through  the  thick  forest  of  quolquol 
trees,  like  seven-branched  candlesticks,  and 
seemingly  almost  over  their  heads,  they 
could  see  the  roof  of  the  ancient  church 
of  Asmara.  Seven  thousand  feet  had  they 
travelled  upward  from  Massowah.  From 
the  heavy,  misty  air  of  the  valley  they 
suddenly  emerged  as  if  by  magic  into  a  sea 
of  brilliant  sunshine  high  above  the  clouds. 
They  camped  that  night  by  one  of  the 
many  springs  which  are  in  all  the  high- 
lands of  Abyssinia. 

As  soon  as  the  camp  was  settled  and  the 
animals  were  unloaded,  Ahmed  departed  on  a 
tour  of  investigation.  He  returned  shortly, 
showing  great  excitement. 

"We  cannot  go  on  from  here,  Fitaurari, 
unless  we  join  the  rebels.  They  are  fight- 
ing on  all  sides.  Ras  Mangashah's  men 
are  but  a  few  miles  to  the  north." 

Now,  Hakkouki  had  no  idea  of  joining 
rebels  or  fighting.  He  came  on  a  peaceful 
mission.  He  had  planned  to  go  north  as  far 


A    DANGEROUS  JOURNEY.  109 

as  Keren,  where  much  civet  was  prepared 
for  market,  and  where  in  the  dense  forests 
thereabouts  is  found  the  animal  from  which 
it  is  taken  in  its  wild  state.  Ahmed's  ex- 
citement gave  him  much  uneasiness. 

"  Join  the  rebels  ! "  said  he.  "  Which 
side,  then  ?  Are  not  both  sides  rebels  ?  " 

Ahmed  turned  quickly  with  a  flushed 
face. 

"  The  southern  Menelek  has  wrongly 
given  Ras  Mangashah  the  lordship  of  Tigre, 
and  the  friends  of  Ras  Alula,  who  is  an 
old  man,  will  not  have  his  kingdom  taken 
from  him." 

"Would  you  fight  against  Alula  then, 
by  joining  the  rebels?"  asked  Hakkouki. 

"  By  joining  them,"  said  Ahmed,  cun- 
ningly, "we  could  learn  of  Mangashah's 
plans,  and  make  them  known  to  Ras 
Alula." 

Then  Hakkouki  realized  his  danger. 
Ras  (meaning  prince)  Mangashah  and  his 
men  were  friends  of  the  Italians.  He  was 


110  THE    GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

ruler  by  order  of  King  Menelek,  with  whom 
it  was  important  that  the  Italians  should 
be  at  peace.  Hakkouki  was  travelling  on 
the  courtesy  of  the  Italians,  and  here  was 
Ahmed,  a  serpent  among  them,  in  sympa- 
thy with  Ras  Alula,  the  enemy.  Hakkouki 
felt  himself  handicapped  by  only  being 
able  to  obtain  information  through  the 
interpreter.  There  was  one  thing,  however, 
upon  which  he  quickly  determined.  On 
no  account  must  he  allow  his  opposition  to 
Ahmed's  sympathies  to  escape  him,  for 
then  Ahmed  would  not  be  frank  with  him. 
At  the  same  time,  while  he  was  accepting 
the  courtesy  of  the  Italians,  he  felt  that  he 
ought  not  to  allow  spies  among  his  escort. 
Hakkouki,  however,  was  fast  becoming 
much  attached  to  Ahmed.  His  gay  spirits, 
his  wild,  yet  loving  nature,  his  amiability, 
wonderful  physical  endurance  and  beauty, 
were  all  attractions.  But  there  was  evi- 
dently that  in  his  nature  which  it  is  hard 
to  accustom  one's  self  to  in  a  friend  —  an 


A    DANGEROUS  JOURNEY.  HI 

entire  lack  of  honor.  Hakkouki  asked  him- 
self "  Can  he  ever  be  a  friend  to  me  ? " 

They  were  obliged  to  remain  a  short 
time  in  Asmara  to  find  out  more  definitely 
the  condition  of  the  road  to  Keren.  Dur- 
ing this  time,  and  afterward,  Hakkouki 
accompanied  Ahmed  on  all  his  tours,  as  he 
could  not  trust  him. 

On  the  road  to  town  one  morning  —  for 
they  were  camped  two  miles  out  —  the}' 
passed  some  natives  winnowing  grain,  called 
teff,  from  which  they  make  their  bread. 
They  held  baskets  of  the  grain  high  above 
their  heads,  and  as  the  peas  fell  to  the 
earth,  the  wind  blew  away  the  chaff. 
Though  they  were  in  haste  to  reach  town 
before  the  sun  got  high,  Ahmed  found  time 
to  jump  down  from  his  mule  and  kiss  the 
prettiest  girl.  This  was  a  habit  of  Ahmed's 
to  which  Hakkouki  had  already  become 
accustomed,  supposing  it  to  be  one  of  the 
customs  of  the  country.  Later,  he  found 
it  was  one  of  Ahmed's  foreign  introductions 


112  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

—  nevertheless,    it    seemed     to    please    the 
natives. 

As  soon  as  they  learned  that  Ras  Man- 
gashah  had  moved  on,  Hakkouki  deter- 
mined to  push  northward  as  fast  as  possible 
to  Keren.  They  passed  Azteclesan  at  the 
foot  of  the  mountains,  and  cautiously 
entered  the  country  of  the  powerful  chief 
Hadghambassah.  The  latter  was  an  ally 
of  Ras  Alula,  noted  for  his  cruelties  and 
opposition  to  the  Italian  government.  Hak- 
kouki wished  heartily  to  avoid  Hadgham- 
bassah,—  indeed,  he  hoped  to  keep  free 
from  any  connection  with  the  political  con- 
dition of  the  country.  Ahmed,  on  the 
contrary,  was  most  anxious  to  see  Had- 
ghambassah. This  much-feared  man  had 
built  for  himself  a  hut  (known  as  a  castle) 
on  the  highest  point  of  the  village,  and  forti- 
fied it  with  a  wall  of  stones.  He  never  left 
this  stronghold  except  to  go  on  marauding 
expeditions,  for  he  had  many  enemies,  and 
was  in  perpetual  fear  of  assassination. 


A   DANGEROUS  JOURNEY.  113 

After  travelling  through  a  rough  country 
they  camped  upon  the  bank  of  a  beautiful 
stream  in  a  narrow  valley,  with  steep  cliffs 
on  either  side,  and  a  great  variety  of  tropical 
vegetation.  Here  they  were  able  to  bathe  in 
the  stream,  while  the  native  troops  lit  roar- 
ing fires  to  frighten  away  the  leopards  and 
hyenas  which  swarm  in  these  valleys. 

After  supper,  as  they  smoked  the  hookah, 
and  Ahmed  drank  his  beloved  tedge,  they 
planned  for  the  future. 

"  Fitaurari,"  said  Ahmed,  "  if  to  learn  of 
civet  is  your  only  mission,  we  may  remain  in 
this  valley.  The  animal  is  common  in  this 
locality,  and  the  natives  of  a  village  close  by, 
called  Amba  Derho,  live  by  hunting  it  and 
selling  its  perfume.  They  pack  the  sub- 
stance in  horn,  like  this."  And  Ahmed  held 
up  his  drinking  horn. 

"  In  that  case,"  said  Hakkouki,  "  we  will 
hunt  the  animals  ourselves,  and  make  this 
spot  our  headquarters." 

Early  next  morning  they   rode  to  Amba 


114  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

Derho.  Although  they  passed  several  girls 
(probably  pretty  from  Ahmed's  point  of 
view),  he  never  once  dismounted.  Hak- 
kouki  smiled,  for  he  knew  Ahmed's  whole 
heart  must  be  in  this  enterprise  to  make  him 
so  neglectful  of  his  duties. 

"  Ride  slowly,  Fitaurari,"  said  Ahmed,  as 
they  came  to  a  collection  of  huts,  "and  we 
will  discover  where  they  use  the  greatest 
quantity." 

By  their  noses  they  were  guided,  for  the 
natives  use  the  scent  so  freely  that  the  inte- 
rior of  the  hut  is  saturated  with  it.  It  is 
used  both  as  a  medicine  and  a  perfume.  At 
last  they  halted.  A  man's  head  appeared  in 
the  aperture ;  then  he  crawled  out  and  sat 
cross-legged  by  the  side  of  the  house,  with 
a  sulky  look  upon  his  face.  Ahmed  held 
out  an  amote.  This  is  a  bar  of  crystallized 
salt,  used  as  money,  five  equalling  an  Abys- 
sinian dollar. 

It  varies  in  value  and  size,  and  it  is  a  token 
of  affection  when  friends  meet  to  give  each 


A    DANGEROUS  JOURNEY.  115 

other  a  lick  of  their  respective  amotes,  which 
thereby  diminishes  the  value.  The  man 
sprang  eagerly  forward  to  lick  it,  when 
Ahmed  pressed  him  to  take  it.  He  bowed 
low,  and  then  turning  to  Hakkouki  he  bowed 
lower,  and  called  out  "  Dejitchmatch,"  which 
means  "big  man,"  for  he  was  overwhelmed 
by  the  grandeur  of  Hakkouki's  equipment. 

"  To-morrow  we  must  go  to  hunt  the 
civet,"  said  Ahmed.  The  man  shook  his 
head. 

"  For  two  amotes  I'll  show  you  the  animals 
now,"  he  said. 

"  One,"  said  Ahmed. 

"Two,"  said  the  man. 

"  One,"  said  Ahmed,  and  then  the  real 
bargain  began. 

To  Hakkouki's  amusement,  Ahmed  won. 
He  usually  did,  for  he  laughed  and  was  so 
good-natured  about  it  that  there  seemed  to  be 
no  way  but  to  yield  to  him. 

"  This  way,"  said  the  man. 

They   dismounted,   and   with   a   dozen   or 


116  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

more  children  they  started  through  the  vil- 
lage, each  hut  supplying  another  half  dozen 
children.  Hakkouki  and  Ahmed  led  their 
mules,  for  had  they  left  them,  they  would 
quickly  have  been  hidden  underground  or 
elsewhere.  No  one  would  ever  have  known 
where. 

At  last,  in  a  great  hole  in  the  ground, 
with  its  top  barred  by  long,  pliable  branches, 
they  found  the  imprisoned  animals.  The 
native  then  held  a  small  strong  cage  over  an 
opening  which  he  uncovered  in  the  roof.  One 
of  the  animals,  in  the  hope  of  escape,  sprang 
into  it,  and  was  immediately  secured.  As  the 
civet  secretes  its  perfume  in  larger  quantities 
when  irritated,  the  man  poked  him  with  a 
stick,  and  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  small 
quantity  of  this  most  powerful  scent.  This 
is  usually  accomplished  by  means  of  a  thin 
wooden  spoon  which  scrapes  it  out  of  the 
glands  in  which  it  is  produced. 

As  they  walked  back  toward  the  hut, 
Ahmed  bargained  for  a  hunt  on  the  next 


A    DANGEROUS  JOURNEY.  117 

night,  and  succeeded  in  getting  the  required 
number  of  men  and  traps. 

"  If  we  are  to  remain  here  for  some  time, 
Fitaurari,"  said  Ahmed,  "  it  would  be  a  good 
thing  for  us  to  buy  a  cow.  Our  people  love 
milk  better  than  tedge,  and  it  will  keep  our 
men  in  good  humor  if  we  add  a  cow  to  the 
party." 

Hakkouki  having  agreed  to  the  purchase, 
Ahmed  at  once  began  to  bargain  for  one 
of  the  humpbacked  animals  of  that  country. 
It  did  not  occur  to  either  of  them  that  they 
might  experience  some  difficulty  in  getting 
the  cow  to  camp. 

"  We  must  drive  her  ahead  of  us,"  pro- 
posed Hakkouki. 

As  long  as  they  were  accompanied  by  the 
whole  village,  they  had  no  trouble,  but  when 
bereft  of  their  escort,  the  cow  objected  to 
being  driven.  All  efforts  to  force  her  to  do 
other  than  she  wished  Avere  of  no  avail. 

"  The  obstinate  brute  !  "  said  Ahmed.  "  I 
see  nothing  to  do  but  ride  her  to  camp." 


118  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

And  giving  the  rein  of  his  mule  to  Hak- 
kouki, he  sprang  nimbly  upon  the  back  of 
the  cow.  Hakkouki  had  implicit  confidence 
in  Ahmed's  powers  to  accomplish  whatever 
he  might  undertake.  But  when  Ahmed  had 
once  mounted  the  cow,  with  the  exception 
of  an  instantaneous  view  of  a  pair  of  cloven 
hoofs  and  an  immense  cloud  of  dust,  he  was 
lost  to  Hakkouki's  vision  for  many  a  day  to 
come.  Straight  ahead  they  seemed  to  go ; 
but  though  Hakkouki  anxiously  hurried  in 
pursuit,  dragging  Ahmed's  unwilling  mule, 
no  trace  whatever  of  the  fugitives  was  dis- 
cernible. Into  the  clouds  they  might  have 
flown  as  far  as  any  earthly  sign  was  left  of 
them. 

"There  is  but  one  thing  to  do,"  thought 
Hakkouki ;  "  go  to  the  camp.  He  will  proba- 
bly reach  there  sooner  than  I." 

At  the  camp,  by  motions,  and  what  words 
he  had  learned,  he  communicated  to  the  men 
the  situation.  After  waiting  a  few  hours,  he 
sent  out  a  searching  party.  When,  on  the 


A    DANGEROUS  JOURNEY.  H9 

next  day,  these  men  had  not  returned,  Hak- 
kouki  decided  to  send  the  rest  of  the  mule- 
teers and  camel-drivers  in  pursuit,  thus  leaving 
in  camp  only  the  eight  natives  who  consti- 
tuted the  armed  escort. 

Again  the  same  thing  happened.  The  situa- 
tion then  seemed  plain  to  them  all.  "Brig- 
ands," was  the  conclusion.  "  But  what  could 
brigands  want  with  Ahmed  and  his  cow?" 
This  puzzled  Hakkouki. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    ATTACK   AND    ESCAPE. 

OEING  well  armed,  he  determined  to  take 
^  his  eight  soldiers  and  find  Ahmed  him- 
self. He  took  the  road  back  to  the  village. 
Not  far  from  the  scene  of  Ahmed's  agility  he 
stopped  suddenly.  Sounds  of  laughter  could 
be  distinctly  heard  back  from  the  road. 
Breaking  through  the  tangled  brush,  he  and 
his  followers  rode  toward  the  sounds.  Soon, 
through  an  opening  in  the  rocks,  a  remarka- 
ble scene  met  their  eyes.  A  wide  expanse 
of  level  country,  through  which  flowed  a  nar- 
row and  winding  river,  stretched  before  them. 
With  the  exception  of  a  few  large  syca- 
mores, this  land  was  treeless.  Mules,  num- 
bers of  them,  were  tethered  under  the  trees ; 
and  it  was  plain  that  a  feast  of  some  kind 

120 


THE  ATTACK  AND  ESCAPE.  121 

was  going  on.  Men  were  dancing  in  the 
wildest  manner,  and  among  these  men,  no 
less  wild  than  they,  Hakkouki  recognized  his 
own  muleteers.  Tedge  (the  common  drink 
of  the  people)  in  great  horns  was  circulated 
freely. 

"  But  where  is  Ahmed  ? "  asked  Hakkouki. 
He  realized  that  the  men  who  had  been  sent 
in  search  of  him  had  succumbed  to  the  attrac- 
tions of  the  feast.  It  appeared  to  Hakkouki 
to  be  a  religious  feast.  He  saw  what  seemed 
to  be  a  priest,  who,  with  a  mitre  on  his  head 
and  a  purple  umbrella  above  it,  danced  with 
the  others.  At  certain  intervals  in  the  music 
he  bathed  a  cross  which  he  held  in  his  hand 
in  the  stream. 

Christianity  was  carried  into  Abyssinia 
about  600  A.D.,  and  at  the  present  day  the 
forms  are  carried  on  in  the  same  manner 
as  at  that  time.  The  Abyssinian  is  not 
progressive,  and  scorns  change.  They  take 
their  religious  zeal  in  dancing  from  the  fact 
that  David  danced  before  the  ark.  Persist- 


122  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

ent  attempts  have  been  made  to  convert 
them  to  the  Catholic  form  by  the  brave 
Jesuits  who  have  suffered  martyrdom  at 
their  hands,  but  have  always  failed.  Gen- 
erally, upon  such  occasions,  many  priests 
danced ;  in  fact,  they  outnumbered  the  other 
people  as  dancers,  but  here  there  was  but 
one. 

As  Hakkouki  and  his  soldiers  went  forward, 
the  natives  surrounded  them  with  open- 
mouthed  wonder.  Hakkouki  looked  into  the 
faces  about  him,  hoping  to  find  Ahmed,  but 
he  was  disappointed.  Seeing  that  the  feast 
was  over,  he  ordered  his  men  to  return  to 
their  camp.  Downright  refusal,  however,  met 
his  demand.  The  soldiers  even  refused  him 
protection  from  his  gaping  captors,  as  they 
turned  out  to  be.  Under  the  circumstances 
there  was  nothing  for  Hakkouki  to  do  but  go 
where  he  was  asked.  He  therefore  mounted 
his  mule,  and  rode  along  with  them.  In 
spite  of  his  position,  he  could  not  help  laugh- 
ing a  little  at  the  ridiculous  "  armed  escort." 


THE   ATTACK  AND  ESCAPE.  123 

Hakkouki's  captors  evidently  considered 
him  a  person  of  distinction ;  for  they  rode 
beside -and  behind  him,  though  never  immedi- 
ately in  front  of  him.  Moreover,  they  treated 
him  with  great  courtesy,  which  was  at  least 
some  compensation. 

After  a  time  he  saw  to  his  right  the  priest 
coming  toward  him.  He  was  gorgeously 
attired,  and  carried  the  silver  cross.  Beside 
his  mule  walked  two  men,  one  holding  the 
umbrella,  the  other  a  silver  crutch.  The  face 
of  the  priest  was  covered  by  the  white  robe 
which  he  wore  drawn  up  to  his  eyes ;  and  the 
turkey  red  which  was  bound  about  his  head 
to  make  the  mitre  fit,  hid  all  above.  He  rode 
in  silence  beside  Hakkouki,  while  the  others 
fell  back.  A  captive  was  safe  in  the  hands 
of  a  priest ;  for  such  is  the  force  of  their  re- 
ligion, that  the  reverence  for  the  priest  gov- 
erns more  than  arms.  For  some  time  they 
rode  on  in  this  way.  Hakkouki  began  to  feel 
anxious  ;  certainly  things  had  a  dubious  look. 

When  it  became  dark,  however,  a   merry 


124  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

voice  beside  Hakkouki  whispered,  "  We  are 
bound  for  Azteclesan  to  visit  Hadghambassah." 
Joy  leaped  into  Hakkouki's  heart  as  he  recog- 
nized Ahmed's  voice.  Before  he  had  time  to 
realize  the  horror  of  "visiting"  Hadgham- 
bassah, taken  prisoner  as  he  was  by  his 
followers,  Ahmed  spoke  again. 

"  I  am  his  priest,"  laughed  he.  <f  The  cow 
took  me  there.  She  never  stopped  until  we 
reached  Azteclesan.  I  hid  myself  within  the 
church  where  no  good  priest  will  step,  and 
there  I  thought  to  make  myself  a  priest,  and 
go  to  Hadghambassah  and  help  him  save  his 
soul,  for  none  but  a  priest  would  ever  dare 
enter  his  presence  unarmed.  The  day  of 
Epiphany  being  near,  he  bade  me  hasten  to 
the  sacred  stream  to  bathe  the  cross  and  purify 
him  of  his  sins." 

Hakkouki  was  full  of  admiration  for 
Ahmed's  cleverness. 

"  As  I  could  not  go  to  you,  I  held  the  men, 
knowing  that  you  would  follow,"  Ahmed 
continued. 


THE   ATTACK  AND  ESCAPE.  125 

Hakkouki  was  overjoyed.  So  happy  a 
prisoner  never  walked  into  Hadghambassah's 
clutch.  For  with  Ahmed  found  all  things 
seemed  possible.  Nevertheless,  he  could  not 
help  feeling  somewhat  suspicious  of  Ahmed. 

"  Did  you  not  guide  that  cow  toward 
Azteclesan  ? "  he  asked  of  Ahmed. 

"Oh,  Fitaurari,  how  could  you  think  so?" 

But  still  Hakkouki  had  his  doubts  as  to 
the  cow  taking  a  direct  course  to  the  man 
whom  Ahmed  wished  so  much  to  see. 

"Why  has  he  done  this  thing?"  Hak- 
kouki asked  himself.  "  Hadghambassah  is 
an  ally  of  Ras  Alula,  and  Ahmed  is  in 
sympathy  with  him.  Why  has  he  chosen 
to  come  here?" 

He  considered  it  wiser,  however,  not  to 
ask  more  questions,  so  they  continued  the 
journey  in  silence.  Arriving  in  the  village, 
they  went  directly  to  the  fortified  hut  on 
the  highest  eminence,  where  Hadghambassah 
lived.  They  were  treated  with  great  civility. 
The  room  into  which  they  were  ushered  had 


126  THE  GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

ox  horns  let  into  the  wall,  upon  which 
Hakkouki  hung  his  gun  and  heavy  cartridge 
belt,  and  Ahmed,  his  cross  and  heavy  mitre. 

The  house  was  the  finest  Hakkouki  had 
seen  since  leaving  Massowah.  Hadghambas- 
sah  entered  from  a  sleeping  closet  adjoining, 
although  it  was  long  past  midnight.  Hak- 
kouki did  not  anticipate  very  polite  treat- 
ment, as  this  was  the  man  who  had  slapped 
Captain  Bettini  in  the  face  when  he  had 
visited  him  the  year  before.  Thus  he  had 
openly  insulted  and  rebelled  against  the 
Italians.  Thanks  to  the  charming  inven- 
tions of  Ahmed,  however,  he  was  treated  as 
if  he  were  Ras  Alula  himself. 

"  Did  you  tell  him  I  was  Ras  Alula  ? " 
he  asked  Ahmed. 

"  I  told  him  you  were  sent  by  Ras  Alula 
to  tell  him  of  his  whereabouts,  and  that 
you  would  send  him  back  presents  on  your 
return  to  the  south  country." 

The  repast  was  ordered,  and  the  tedge- 
horn  sent  around  the  table.  Notwithstand- 


THE  ATTACK  AND  ESCAPE.  127 

ing  the  fact  that  this  drink  was  nauseating 
to  Hakkouki,  courtesy  forbade  him  to  re- 
fuse it.  Food  was  then  set  before  them, 
and  they  fell  to.  So  hungry  was  Hak- 
kouki, that  even  the  sour,  strangely  flavored 
bread  tasted  delicious.  Gayety  followed; 
for  laughter  and  fun,  stories  and  songs,  went 
hand  in  hand  with  Ahmed.  None  could 
resist  him.  At  length  Ahmed  said  to 
Hadghambassah :  — 

"  Hakkouki  is  camped  below  at  Amba 
Derho.  He  has  left  his  camels  there,  and 
brought  his  men  with  him." 

"  To-rnorrow  they  can  return  and  fetch 
the  camels  here,"  was  the  reply. 

But  Ahmed,  knowing  the  trickery  of  his 
own  kind,  answered :  — 

"  To-morrow  we  must  hunt." 

"I  fear  it  is  not  safe,"  said  Hadghambas- 
sah. "  The  country  is  overrun  with  friends 
of  Ras  Mangashah.  We  should  encounter 
them  in  battle." 

"Hakkouki     has     armed    men,"     replied 


128  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

Ahmed.  "  Moreover,  he  has  letters  to  Ras 
Mangashah,  and  even  to  the  Italians  to 
make  friends  of  them." 

Hadghambassah  frowned.  A  veritable 
thunder-cloud  overspread  his  dark  face,  for 
he  immediately  suspected  trickery  himself. 

"How  comes  it  so?"  asked  he. 

"  We  stole  them,"  answered  Ahmed, 
simply.  "We  came  upon  a  stranger  travel- 
ling, and  relieved  him  of  what  we  thought 
might  be  of  use  to  us." 

Thus  Ahmed  smoothed  all  troubles  away 
with  his  easy  tongue. 

The  next  day  they  hunted. 

Azteclesan  was  situated  on  the  highest 
point  in  that  part  of  Abyssinia,  overlooking 
the  country  for  miles  in  all  directions.  The 
thick  forests  of  the  surrounding  hillside 
gave  fine  opportunities  for  game,  and  as  the 
town  was  large,  they  had  plenty  of  com- 
pany on  their  hunt.  Hakkouki  was  anxious 
to  get  a  civet.  Having  sent  the  men  back 
to  the  camp  to  care  for  the  animals,  Hak- 


THE  ATTACK  AND  ESCAPE.  129 

kouki  felt  in  no  hurry  to  depart;  more- 
over, he  began  to  feel  that  Hadghambassah 
might  not  let  him  go  so  easily. 

The  chief,  however,  soon  tired  of  such 
continuous  hunting,  and  remained  behind. 
Priests,  although  they  are  allowed  all  liberty, 
do  not  generally  hunt.  Their  lives,  with 
the  exception  of  dancing,  which  they  carry 
to  the  extreme,  are  generally  inactive.  But 
Ahmed,  being  interpreter  as  well  as  priest, 
was  obliged  to  hunt  if  Hakkouki  required 
it.  As  Hakkouki  was  especially  anxious  to 
secure  a  civet,  and  as  this  animal  goes 
about  only  at  night,  the  hunters  remained 
out  until  midnight.  There  were  with  them 
men  from  the  village,  who  were  accustomed 
to  catching  the  animal ;  and  as  one  live 
civet  is  worth  forty  dead  ones,  they  carried 
traps  made  of  quolquol  branches. 

The  civet  is  such  a  timid,  stealthy  animal 
that  hours  of  quiet  watching  are  often  re- 
quired before  a  capture  is  made.  The  traps 
are  worked  by  a  native  in  ambush.  These 


130  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

cat-like  creatures  are  from  two  to  three 
feet  in  length.  They  are  sharp-nosed, 
have  a  striped  skin,  and  long  tails  marked 
with  dark  rings.  Their  eyes  are  like  a 
cat's,  closing  to  a  mere  line  to  shut  out 
the  light. 

After  a  long,  silent  wait,  Hakkouki  was 
delighted  to  hear  the  cover  of  a  trap  fall. 
The  natives  hurried  toward  it,  and  secured 
the  affrighted  animal  by  straps  of  rawhide. 
Ahmed  then  and  there  bargained  for  him.  It 
seemed  strange  to  Hakkouki  that  in  these 
woods  at  midnight,  when  all  were  ready  for 
food  and  sleep,  that  Ahmed  should  undertake 
the  purchase.  Indeed,  in  his  anxiety  to  pro- 
cure the  animal,  Ahmed  took  from  his  belt 
the  money  which  had  been  left  after  the  pur- 
chase of  the  cow,  and  offered  it  to  the  men 
to  be  allowed  to  carry  the  animal  on  his  own 
saddle.  This  was  a  sum  double  the  supposed 
value  of  the  civet.  They  mounted  their 
mules,  which  had  been  tethered  on  the  edge 
of  the  wood,  Ahmed  calling  Hakkouki's  men 


THE  ATTACK  AND  ESCAPE.  131 

to  help  him  bind  the  animal  on  his  saddle. 
Me£an while,  their  friends,  satisfied  with  the 
money  they  had  received,  rode  rapidly  on. 
Then  in  single  file,  they  started  on  their 
wearisome  journey  to  the  top  of  the  moun- 
tain. 

"  Fitaurari ! "  whispered  Ahmed,  suddenly. 

Hakkouki,  turning  his  head,  heard  Ahmed 
say, "  Soon  we  strike  the  main  road.  In  a 
few  hours  we  can  be  at  the  camp.  Let  us 
run  for  our  lives." 

And  run  they  did,  as  fast  as  their  mules 
could  carry  them. 

Since  it  was  daylight  when  they  reached 
the  camp,  they  found  the  men  enjoying  their 
freedom  by  playing  the  exciting  national 
game  of  gambolta,  where  tiny  balls  are 
moved  about  on  a  wooden  board.  It  was  no 
easy  matter  to  hurry  the  men  to  break  camp 
and  pack  up.  Ahmed's  indefatigable  persist- 
ence accomplished  it  at  last,  and  they  took 
the  road. 

"  Once  past  the  hill-road,  and  we  shall  be 


132  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

free,"  said  Ahmed.  "  But  should  Hadgham- 
bassah  discover  our  escape  before  the  men 
sleep,  our  chance  will  be  small." 

Ahmed  reckoned  that  the  men  of  Aztecle- 
san,  being  content  with  their  money,  would 
sleep  first. 

"  Being  in  advance  of  us,  they  may  not 
have  noticed  our  escape,"  said  he. 

As  rapidly  as  possible  they  continued  on 
their  way.  Although  near  midday,  they 
travelled  on,  watching  from  side  to  side,  to 
detect  their  hidden  foe.  In  that  region  the 
jungle  is  so  wild,  that  the  narrow  pathway 
called  a  road  allows  only  a  single  file  to  pass. 
Their  men  were  frightened  to  the  point  of 
weakness.  Not  only  were  stories  rife  among 
them  of  the  horrible  assaults  and  cruelties 
perpetrated  by  Hadghambassah  and  his  fol- 
lowers upon  inoffensive  people,  but  they  knew 
well  that  the  chief  had  already  begun  to 
suspect  his  "  visitors."  The  native  soldiers, 
having  been  companions  of  the  people  during 
the  stay  at  Azteclesan,  had  brought  back 


THE  ATTACK  AND  ESCAPE.  133 

tales  which  made  their  teeth  chatter  and 
their  hair  stand  on  end. 

Previously  it  had  been  difficult  to  drive 
the  men  on,  but  now  they  themselves  drove 
the  poor  animals  without  mercy.  For  once 
neither  rest  nor  food  was  needed  by  these 
frightened  men. 

"To  Asmara,  as  fast  as  the  camels  can 
travel,"  was  the  one  thought  of  all. 

"We  must  move  by  day  to  accomplish 
greater  distance,  although  it  is  more  danger- 
ous," said  Ahmed. 

The  night  before  reaching  Asmara,  Hak- 
kouki  lay  in  peaceful  sleep  in  his  tent.  Dan- 
ger, he  felt,  was  passed,  his  mission  thus  far 
accomplished,  and  in  his  dreams  he  lived 
again  in  Drusa's  court.  Sweet  visions 
greeted  his  eyes,  sweet  sounds  his  ears,  and 
sweet  scents  had  he  brought  back  to  that 
beloved  room  where  stood  the  Princess 
thanking  him  —  when,  suddenly,  he  felt 
himself  rudely  shaken,  and  heard  Ahmed's 
voice  in  his  ear. 


134  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

"Fitaurari,  quick  !  "  said  the  interpreter. 

Pulling  him  along,  Ahmed  hurried  Hak- 
kouki  to  the  rear  of  the  tent,  and  thence 
quickly  down  a  pathway  in  the  brush. 

'  Hakkouki,  now  thoroughly  awake,  saw  his 
mule  hidden  behind  a  tree. 

"  Mount !  "  said  Ahmed,  breathlessly,  "  and 
wait  here  for  me.  Should  I  not  come  by  day- 
light ride  on  to  Asmara.  I  shall  have  gone 
before."  Then  Ahmed  disappeared. 

Not  knowing  why,  fearing  to  disturb 
Ahmed's  plans,  and  impatient  at  being  inac- 
tive, Hakkouki  silently  waited.  He  could 
hear  the  sound  of  clashing  spears,  but  as  he 
heard  no  rifle  shots,  he  felt  his  own  men 
could  not  be  engaged. 

"  This  is  terrible,"  said  he  to  himself.  "  If 
I  could  but  help,  but  I  must  be  ready  to  start 
at  the  instant,  should  Ahmed  appear.  Why 
could  he  not  have  told  me?" 

Day  was  breaking.  At  that  moment  he 
heard  a  sound  in  the  bush  near  him,  and 
immediately  afterward  saw  Ahmed's  mule, 


THE   ATTACK  AND  ESCAPE.  135 

seemingly  alone.  Then  he  saw  that  Ahmed 
was  bound  flat  upon  the  mule's  back. 

"  Dead ! "  said  Hakkouki,  with  a  gasp. 
But  no !  He  could  see  that  Ahmed  had  his 
foot  caught  in  the  rein  and  was  guiding  the 
mule  toward  him.  He  was  wounded  and 
appeared  to  be  dying.  There  he  lay,  with  his 
feet  extending  forward,  and  his  body  bent 
backward,  and  bound  down  tightly  by  a  strip 
of  rawhide  about  the  neck.  With  his  hand 
he  pointed  to  Asmara.  Hakkouki  quickly 
cut  the  straps  which  bound  him. 

"  Quick !  "  gasped  Ahmed.  u  There  is  no 
time  to  lose." 

And  wounded  though  he  was,  he  hurried 
his  mule  along.  Though  faint  from  loss  of 
blood,  his  wonderful  will  sustained  him. 

"  No,  I  must  not  die  until  we  reach 
Asmara;  not  until  you're  safe,  Fitaurari," 
he  whispered  hoarsely.  And  a  faint  sem- 
blance of  his  merry  smile  appeared  on  his 
face. 

"  Asmara  at  last !  "    cried  Ahmed,  when 


136  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

they  came  in  sight  of  the  huts.  Then,  just 
as  they  reached  the  Italian  quarters,  where 
Hakkouki  would  be  protected,  the  brave 
fellow  fell  forward  upon  his  mule's  neck 
unconscious. 

But  Ahmed  was  strong,  and  his  wonder- 
ful vitality  asserted  itself.  After  the  sur- 
geon's care,  and  a  night's  rest,  he  looked 
almost  himself  again. 

"  It  was  this  way,"  he  told  Hakkouki. 
"They  came  upon  us  like  thieves  in  the 
night,  and  took  away  our  camels.  Our 
men  were  sleeping,  for  they  thought  we 
were  out  of  danger." 

"Was  it  Hadghambassah ? "  asked  Hak- 
kouki, feeling  ashamed  that  he,  the  chief, 
had  been  in  hiding  behind  a  tree. 

"  No,  no,"  replied  Ahmed  j  "  we  thought 
it  was  at  first,  but  it  turned  out  to  be  Ras 
Mangashah's  men."  With  a  srnile  he  added, 
"Our  soldiers  did  not  wait  to  see.  They 
ran  and  hid." 

"Like  me,"  said  Hakkouki,  sadly. 


THE  ATTACK  AND   ESCAPE.  137 

"The  muleteers  and  camel-drivers  fought 
for  a  time  with  what  they  had  to  fight  with, 
but  the  soldiers  had  carried  their  guns  away 
with  them." 

"But  Ras  Mangashah's  men  were  to  be 
our  friends.  Why  did  you  not  tell  them 
the  Italians  had  promised  us  their  protec- 
tion?" said  Hakkouki. 

"Ah!  but  they  had  heard  we  were  at 
Azteclesan  as  friends  of  Ras  Alula,"  replied 
Ahmed,  "and  they  wanted  to  kill  you. 
The}^  fired  the  camp  just  as  I  caught  my 
mule  and  jumped  upon  her  back,  and  then 
the  brutes  bound  me  down.  They  wanted 
fun,  they  said." 

"He  is  indeed  my  friend,"  said  Hakkouki, 
as  he  looked  at  the  interpreter.  In  a  few 
days  Ahmed  recovered  sufficiently  to  be  car- 
ried upon  a  litter  to  Sahati,  and  thence  by 
train  to  Massowah. 

To  Hakkouki's  surprise,  they  were  met 
upon  arrival  by  the  Italian  Governor.  Hak- 
kouki had  especially  requested  his  friends 


138  THE  GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

in  Asmara  not  to  notify  the  Governor,  as 
he  was  in  doubt  as  to  the  day  upon  which 
it  would  be  safe  to  move  Ahmed;  and  he 
did  not  wish  to  give  the  Governor  any  un- 
necessary trouble.  Still  more  surprised  was 
he  when  the  Governor  said :  — 

"  I  came  to  the  train  both  yesterday  and 
day  before.  The  soldiers  said  you  might  be 
here  any  day.  What  caused  your  delay  ?  " 

Then  Hakkouki  realized  that  the  soldiers 
had  arrived  ahead  of  them. 

"  It  was  Ahmed's  wound,"  answered  Hak- 
kouki. 

"  They  told  me  nothing  of  it,"  said  the 
Governor. 

"They  did  not  know,"  laughed  Ahmed. 
"They  could  not  see  with  their  backs." 

A  week  or  so  later  Hakkouki  left  Mas- 
sowah  for  the  south  of  France  to  study  the 
methods  of  obtaining  perfumes  from  the 
many  varieties  of  flowers  growing  there. 

While  walking  in  the  streets  of  Genoa, 
where  the  steamer  from  Massowah  landed, 


THE   ATTACK  AND   ESCAPE.  139 

his  attention  was  called  to  a  notice  posted 
upon  a  wall. 

"Remarkable  capture  by  the  Italians  in 
Abyssinia  of  the  bold  chief  Hadghambassah, 
who  has  been  the  fear  of  the  tribes  in  the 
vicinity  of  Azteclesan  for  years.  He  was 
taken  by  force  from  his  fortress  on  the  top 
of  the  mountain.  This  is  considered  a  great 
conquest  over  Ras  Alula.  Hadghambassah 
is  now  imprisoned  in  the  Italian  coast  sta- 
tion of  Assab." 

Then  Hakkouki  read  in  the  list  of  men 
whom  the  Italian  government  had  recently 
honored  for  bravery  that  of  an  Arab,  one 
Ahmed  Jemadar  Mahmoud  Khan,  by  name. 
"And  this  is  the  way  Ahmed  has  returned 
the  courtesy  showed  us  on  our  hunting  trip, 
for  all  he  was  such  a  good  friend  of  Ras 
Alula/'  laughed  Hakkouki. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE   FESTIVAL   OF   MI-CAREME. 

E  same  evening  that  Hakkouki  read 
the  notice  he  took  train  for  Cannes. 
On  one  thing  he  had  determined,  that  in 
France  he  should  not  travel  as  a  person  of 
distinction.  Upon  his  arrival  in  Cannes, 
therefore,  he  purchased  a  blue  cotton  blouse 
and  trousers,  and  a  small  rough  cap,  such 
as  those  who  work  in  the  gardens  wear. 

Leaving  his  valuables  in  charge  of  his 
banker,  he  stepped  jauntily  into  the  railway 
carriage  which  was  to  carry  him  over  the 
short  branch  road  of  eighteen  kilometres  to 
Grasse.  For  the  first  time  in  his  life  Hak- 
kouki felt  himself  one  of  the  people.  It 
was  wonderful  what  effect  his  change  of  cos- 
tume made  in  his  feelings ;  also  wonderful 

140 


THE   FESTIVAL   OF  MI-CARE  ME.        141 

were  the  changed  manners  of  others  toward 
him,  particularly  as  he  had  thoughtlessly 
taken  a  first-class  carriage. 

There  were  few  passengers  for  this  early 
train,  made  up  of  only  four  carriages.  Pres- 
ently, however,  the  pretty  face  of  a  little 
lady  appeared  at  the  door  of  the  carriage, 
and  Hakkouki,  with  natural  gallantry,  rose 
to  make  room  for  her,  struggling  to  remove 
his  close-fitting  cap.  A  disdainful  expression 
obliterated  the  smile  upon  the  pretty  face, 
and  lispingly  the  owner  asked  of  the  guard, 
"  Is  there  not  a  third-class  carriage  on  the 
train?" 

"  Show  me  your  ticket,  man,"  growled  the 
guard. 

The  ticket  entitled  Hakkouki  to  a  first- 
class  passage,  which  the  pretty  one  noticed, 
and  saying,  "  I  will  ride  in  a  third-class  car- 
riage," she  disappeared,  leaving  the  sweet 
odor  of  violets  to  remind  Hakkouki  of  her 
presence. 

The  suddenness  of  the  attack,  for  a  mo- 


142  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

ment,  disconcerted  Hakkouki.  The  blood 
flew  to  his  face,  and  anger  rose  within  him. 
But  in  a  moment  a  smile  overspread  his 
handsome  face. 

"  What  if  Drusa  could  have  seen  that  ? "  he 
thought.  Then,  as  the  train  pulled  out  of 
the  station,  he  said  aloud,  "  Of  course  the 
dear  little  woman  wouldn't  want  to  sit  in 
the  carriage  with  these  clothes.  I  could 
have  assured  her  they  were  quite  clean, 
though." 

Soon  he  was  in  sight  of  the  town  of 
Grasse.  Upon  the  sidehill  he  could  see 
the  white  walls  and  buildings  among  the 
olive  trees.  Higher  up  was  the  tall  white 
tower  of  the  Cathedral  rising  above  the  red- 
tiled  roofs,  and  higher  still,  the  smoke  of 
numerous  factories  curling  up  to  the  clouds. 

In  this  district  of  Provence  are  more  than 
ninety  distilleries  of  perfumes,  fifty  of  which 
are  located  in  the  town  of  Grasse  itself. 
These  vary  in  size  from  the  great  buildings 
where  the  work  is  done  by  steam,  to  the 


THE  FESTIVAL   OF  MI-CARE  ME.        143 

small  ones  in  the  homes  of  the  owners.  The 
surrounding  country  is  overspread  with  gar- 
dens and  high  walls ;  each  strip  of  ground 
being  planted  with  vines,  orange  trees,  and 
flower  buds. 

"  If  the  soil  of  Provence  were  to  be  val- 
ued at  the  price  of  the  best  land  in  France," 
wrote  Mirabeau,  "  its  entire  rental  would  not 
defray  the  cost  of  the  walls  that  are  used 
for  holding  it  up." 

No  fruit  tree  which  will  grow,  nor  sweet- 
scented  flower  which  can  be  made  to  yield 
its  essence,  is  neglected  here. 

Hakkouki,  from  the  car  window,  could  see 
fields  of  flowers  ablaze  with  color.  Roses, 
violets,  jonquils,  jasmine,  and  tuberoses,  in 
vivid  masses,  were  everywhere. 

When  he  reached  the  station  in  Grasse, 
Hakkouki  found  that  he  had  by  no  means 
got  to  the  town,  which,  with  its  irregular 
roofs  heaped  at  random,  tier  above  tier, 
seems  to  be  trying  to  climb  the  mountain. 
As  he  stepped  out  upon  the  platform,  he  saw 


144  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

his  dainty  little  fellow-traveller  step  from 
her  third-class  carriage  at  the  same  moment. 
By  this .  time  she  had  acquired  a  genuine 
dislike  for  Hakkouki;  for  the  hard  board 
seats  of  a  third-class  carriage  had  not  im- 
proved her  temper. 

Hakkouki  smiled  sweetly  as  he  passed 
her,  whereupon  her  face  took  on  a  some- 
what amazed  expression.  As  there  were  two 
omnibuses,  he  saw  no  reason  why  he  should 
enter  the  same  one  she  did.  She  lifted  her 
silken  and  much-ruffled  petticoats,  thereby 
displaying  a  very  dainty  little  foot,  and  with 
a  light  and  somewhat  spiteful  spring,  she 
settled  herself  into  the  corner  of  the  other 
omnibus  facing  Hakkouki,  through  the  open 
window. 

Hakkouki  stared  straight  at  her ;  certainly 
a  workman  could  not  give  offence  to  such  a 
fine  lady.  "  I  have  never  seen  any  one  like 
her,"  said  he  to  himself. 

The  two  omnibuses  were  rivals.  They 
started  off  at  a  furious  gallop  up  the  hill,  and 


THE  FESTIVAL   OF  MI-CAREME.        145 

raced  each  other  through  the  narrow  streets 
and  zigzag  turns,  with  imminent  risk  of  a 
collision  or  an  upset.  The  little  lady  in  the 
other  omnibus,  which  passed  Hakkouki's  just 
before  reaching  the  hotel,  was  much  dis- 
turbed. Anger  and  fright  were  depicted 
upon  her  fair  countenance.  Hakkouki 
thought  it  would  have  been  easier  if  he  had 
taken  "la  voitre  de  St.  FranQois"  (as  they 
called  the  use  of  the  legs  in  that  country) 
and  carried  that  spiteful  little  bunch  of  ruffles 
and  lace  and  feathers  upon  his  shoulder. 

Hakkouki  had  inquired  of  Pierre,  the 
coachman  who  drove  him  to  the  station  in 
Cannes,  for  a  residence  in  Grasse,  and  Pierre 
had  sent  him  to  his  own  mother.  Alighting 
from  the  omnibus,  Hakkouki  was  directed  up 
a  flight  of  steps,  where  he  found  the  old 
woman  on  the  pavement  roasting  coffee. 
Most  of  the  housework  in  this  town  is  done 
on  the  sidewalks. 

"Bon  jour,  Madame,  la  mere  de  Pierre," 
called  Hakkouki,  merrily,  for  he  knew  her  at 


146  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

once.  Pierre  had  said,  "  She  will  be  sitting 
there  at  her  work,"  and  a  homesick  tear  had 
trickled  down  his  rough  face. 

With  a  bright  smile  of  welcome  Hakkouki 
was  received  by  "old  Madame"  and  "young 
Madame  "  and  all  six  of  "  young  Madame's  " 
children.  Then  they  placed  a  table  before 
him  on  the  pavement,  and  brought  bread,  red 
wine,  and  cigarettes.  Hakkouki  looked  away 
and  away  over  the  undulating  country  in  an 
ever-widening  circle,  on  hill  upon  hill  of  soft 
gray  olives  and  softer  green  pines,  in  the  dis- 
tance. The  sunlight  touching  here  and  there 
the  brilliant  green  of  the  terraced  cornfields, 
the  pink  and  white  and  blue  and  yellow 
of  the  flower-gardens  below ;  and  like  enclos- 
ing arms  in  the  far  distance,  lay  the  shadowy 
Esterels  to  the  west,  the  glittering  snow- 
capped Alps  to  the  east,  and  between  them  a 
long  straight  strip  of  exquisite  blue  —  the  sea. 

Hakkouki  was  up  betimes  the  next  morn- 
ing, for  all  the  flowers  must  be  gathered 
while  the  dew  is  on  them. 


THE  FESTIVAL  OF  MI-CAREME.        147 

"  Monsieur,"  called  old  Madame  after  him, 
"take  Pierre's  hat."  And  she  held  out  a 
huge  straw  disc,  as  large  as  an  umbrella. 
"  Go  straight  to  M.  Girot,"  advised  Madame. 
"  I  used  to  work  for  him  myself.  He  will 
give  you  work,  and  is  an  easy  master.  The 
young  masters  are  greedy,  and  want  to  make 
more  money  than  they  have  a  right  to.  But 
M.  Girot  has  made  enough  and  lets  his  people 
make  some  too." 

Old  Madame  had  already  told  Hakkouki  of 
her  own  patch  of  land  out  of  the  town,  where 
she  cultivated  the  sweet  yellow  jasmine. 
While  a  girl  she  had  saved  her  money  until 
she  had  enough  to  buy  a  small  piece  of  land. 
Here  she  built  a  tiny  hut  just  large  enough 
to  sleep  in,  and  in  her  spare  time  she  had 
worked  upon  the  jasmine  lot,  until  she  was 
able  to  buy  a  small  patch  adjoining  it.  By 
working  longer  hours  and  saving  every  sou, 
she  had  become  the  proprietor  of  a  house  and 
large  garden.  Being  thus  possessed  of  a  good 
dowry,  she  had  married  the  keeper  of  the 


148  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

hotel,  who,  at  his  death,  left  her  a  rich 
woman. 

"  Pierre  could  come  and  fill  his  father's 
place,  but  he  wants  life,  and  Grasse  is  too 
slow  for  him.  So  he  must  live  in  Cannes," 
said  old  Madame. 

It  was  a  long  walk  to  the  old  Franciscan 
Convent,  where  M.  Girot  had  his  distillery 
and  office.  Hakkouki  was,  therefore,  too  late 
to  go  to  the  fields  and  see  the  flowers  gath- 
ered that  morning.  As  he  arrived  the  people 
with  cart-loads  of  flowers  were  just  coming 
from  the  fields  to  the  church,  where  the 
"Triage"  takes  place.  There  are  three 
processes,  known  as  "  Cucillage,"  the  gather- 
ing ;  "  Triage,"  the  stripping  of  the  petals 
from  the  calyx  and  stem ;  and  "  Enfleurage," 
the  distilling  of  the  petals  to  procure  the 
essential  oil. 

M.  Girot  received  Hakkouki  kindly,  but 
indifferently.  Without  turning  his  head 
from  his  writing,  he  said,  — 

"  Bon  jour ;  what  can  I  do  for  you  ?  " 


THE   FESTIVAL  OF  MI-CAREME.        149 

"  I  would  like  work,"  said  Hakkouki. 

"  Where  have  you  been  at  work  ?  whose 
gardens  have  you  been  in,  or  did  you  work  in 
the  factory  ?  " 

"  I  have  not  worked  here,"  stammered 
Hakkouki.  "  I  am  a  stranger." 

"Ah!"  said  M.  Girot;  "I  have  all  the 
hands  I  need." 

"  I  come  from  Madame  of  the  '  Fort  Lion,'  " 
said  Hakkouki,  not  willing  to  take  his  dis- 
missal so  quickly. 

At  this  M.  Girot  turned  and  looked  at 
him. 

"  She  sent  you,  did  she  ?  You  are  a  stran- 
ger, you  say?  Are  you  a  friend  of  that 
scapegrace  son  of  hers  ?  " 

Now  Hakkouki  didn't  feel  sure  whether  he 
was  a  friend  of  Pierre  or  not.  At  the  same 
time  Pierre's  recommendation  was  the  only  one 
he  had. 

"  I  am  from  Persia,"  he  made  answer,  simply. 

This  interested  M.  Girot.  "  Ah  !  "  said  he. 
"  You  know  of  the  industry  there  ?  " 


150  THE    GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Hakkouki,  "  and  I  have 
lately  been  in  Bulgaria." 

M.  Girot  was  all  attention.  "  That's  good," 
he  said.  "  The  Bulgarian  rose  is  the  only 
rose  I  cultivate.  There  is  double  the  amount 
of  oil  in  it.  I'll  have  nothing  to  do  with  any 
other.  Some  say  the  yellow  rose  grows  more 
luxuriantly,  and  that  it  has  a  sweeter  fra- 
grance, but  the  Bulgarian  rose  is  the  rose  for 
me.  I  have  good  crops  and  I  make  money." 
The  employer  folded  his  hands  complacently 
and  smiled. 

"  Bien  !  "  he  said  suddenly,  "  I'll  give  you 
work,"  as  if  he  were  doing  Hakkouki  a  great 
favor.  "  Step  through  that  door  into  the 
church,  and  go  to  work,"  he  said  bluntly. 
"  I'll  call  you  when  I  want  to  hear  about 
Bulgaria.  I  haven't  time  now.  I'll  take  you 
through  my  distillery  later,  and  you  can  tell 
me  all  you  know.  Now  to  work  !  "  And  the 
great  man  swung  around  quickly  in  his  seat, 
and  continued  his  writing. 

Hakkouki,  as  he  stepped  through  the  door 


THE   FESTIVAL   OF  MI-CARE  ME.         151 

into  the  church,  felt  puzzled.  What  troubled 
him,  he  could  scarcely  say.  But  he  knew  he 
was  angry.  Why  ?  M.  Girot  had  been  kind  ; 
he  had  even  given  him  work.  In  the  condi- 
tion in  which  he  had  placed  himself,  he  ought 
to  have  felt  grateful,  and  yet  —  what  was  that 
tone  of  superiority  in  M.  Girot's  manner? 
Was  he  superior  to  all  the  people  whom  Hak- 
kouki  saw  toiling  at  the  tables  before  him  ? 
Because  he  paid  them  what  they  earned  ? 
Was  he  wiser,  better,  more  clever,  more  capa- 
ble, or  whatever  superiority  consists  in,  than 
they  were  ?  He  wondered  if  others  in  the 
great  crowd  had  felt  as  he  now  felt  when  they 
were  engaged  to  work  for  M.  Girot. 

He  solved  it  all  at  last.  The  anger  and  the 
indignation  which  had  risen  when  M.  Girot 
implied  his  ownership  not  only  of  his  hands 
to  work,  but  of  his  mind  to  tell  "  all  that  he 
knew,"  gradually  quieted  down  at  last.  u  It 
is  because  I  am  not  used  to  it,"  he  thought. 
"  All  have  spoken  respectfully  and  with  cour- 
tesy to  me  before."  And  then  he  asked  him- 


152  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

self,  "  Why  am  I  different  now  ?  Because  I 
put  on  another  suit  of  clothes  and  ask  to  be 
paid  for  my  work  ?  " 

But  Hakkouki  did  not  answer  this  question. 
He  took  off  his  ungainly  hat  and  looked  about 
him  with  interest.  He  saw  the  long  tables 
filling  the  great  body  of  the  church,  which 
was  open  from  the  flower-strewn  floor  to  the 
raftered  roof.  Some  of  the  long  tables  were 
heaped  two  or  three  feet  high  with  violet 
petals  drying  for  distillation.  At  other  tables 
men  and  women  were  separating  the  blue 
petals  from  the  calyx  and  stalk,  much  care 
being  used  to  free  them  from  the  green. 
There  were  more  women  than  men,  and  all 
were  talking  and  laughing,  their  bright,  sunny 
faces  showing  neither  sorrow  nor  care. 

Hakkouki  took  his  seat  between  a  girl  and 
a  boy  on  the  only  bench  where  there  seemed 
to  be  a  place  to  sit.  The  girl  kindly  moved 
up  to  give  him  more  room,  but  the  boy  made 
no  effort  to  accommodate  him. 

"Will  you  have  this  basket?"  asked  the 


THE   FESTIVAL   OF  MI-CAREME.         153 

girl,  pleasantly.  She  worked  so  rapidly  that 
Hakkouki  felt  ashamed  of  his  own  slow- 
ness. 

When  her  basket  was  full,  the  girl,  whom 
they  called  Marie,  took  it  to  the  counter, 
where  her  petals  were  weighed,  and  she  re- 
ceived her  pay  at  once.  She  returned  jin- 
gling her  sous  in  her  pocket.  As  she  passed 
behind  the  boy,  she  pushed  his  head  forward 
into  his  basket,  and  called  him  "  Paresseux," 
which  means  "  lazybones."  She  did  the 
same  to  Hakkouki.  Laughingly,  she  again 
took  her  seat  beside  him.  Hakkouki  felt 
grateful  for  what  he  supposed  to  be  her  cour- 
tesy, for  he  was  feeling  rather  lonely. 

"You  work  very  fast,"  he  said. 

Marie  laughed. 

"  You  make  much  money." 

She  laughed  again. 

"I  cannot  work  fast,  and  cannot  make 
much  money.  Am  I  not  unfortunate?" 
Hakkouki  looked  at  her  with  such  a  sad 
expression  that  Marie  laughed  immoderately. 


154  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

Then  Hakkouki  laughed  too,  and  they  be- 
came friends. 

Marie  went  often  to  empty  her  basket  and 
get  her  money.  The  wages  were  four  sous  a 
kilo,  or  four  cents  for  two  pounds.  By  din- 
ner time  she  had  earned  fifty  sous,  while 
Hakkouki  had  earned  only  six.  As  he  had 
brought  nothing  to  eat  with  him,  Marie  took 
her  bread  and  cheese  from  her  pocket  and 
promptly  offered  him  half. 

"  How  much  shall  I  pay  you  ? "  asked 
Hakkouki. 

"  Four  sous,"  answered  she,  quite  as  if  she 
were  accustomed  to  sell  half  her  lunch  every 
day. 

"  Would  you  like  some  wine  ?  "  she  asked. 
"  You  can  buy  two  sous'  worth  just  outside 
the  door."  And  as  Hakkouki  had  no  tin 
cup,  Marie  offered  to  run  and  get  it  for 
him. 

Hakkouki's  labor  that  morning  had  pur- 
chased his  luncheon. 

"  It's  something  to  be  able  to  earn   one's 


THE   FESTIVAL   OF  MI-CARE  ME.         155 

bread,"  thought  he,  and  he  determined  to 
work  faster  during  the  afternoon. 

The  effect  of  M.  Girot's  words,  however, 
did  not  pass  away  from  Hakkouki's  mind. 
He  began  to  be  curious  as  to  the  feelings  of 
his  colaborers. 

"  How  long  have  you  been  here  ? "  he 
asked  one  day  of  Marie,  as  they  worked  to- 
gether upon  acacia  blossoms. 

"  Five  years,"  answered  Marie. 

"  What  a  long  time,"  said  Hakkouki. 
"  And  you're  very  happy  here  ?  You  like 
M.  Girot?" 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Marie.  "  He  is  very  good, 
and  Mine.  Girot  is  so  kind  and  sweet. 
She  is  an  American,  you  know,  and  comes 
from  the  country  where  everybody  is  rich 
and  yet  everybody  works,  and  so  the  work- 
ing people  are  as  good  as  anybody.  We  all 
go  to  their  beautiful  home  at  mi-careme  [the 
lenten  festival]  and  they  make  us  very 
happy." 

"  And  Jean  here,  your  brother,"  said  Hak- 


156  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

kouki,  motioning  toward  the  boy  on  his  other 
side,  "  does  he  go  ?  He  does  not  seem  as 
happy  as  you." 

"  Jean,  oh,  no,"  said  she,  laughing.  "  Jean 
will  not  go.  He  says  he  has  no  house  to  ask 
M.  and  Mme.  Girot  to  come  to,  and  he  will 
not  take  charity.  But  Jean  is  just  ill- 
natured.  We  can't  all  have  fine  houses  and 
be  rich  and  beautiful  like  Mme.  Girot."  And 
Marie  smiled  contentedly. 

Hakkouki  felt  that  he  had  solved  another 
problem.  "  It  was  just  because  I  was  ill- 
natured  that  I  was  offended  when  M.  Girot 
said  to  me,  '  You  can  come  with  the  others  to 
my  house  at  mi-careme,'  "  he  said  to  himself. 
If  he  were  happy  and  good  like  Marie,  he 
would  be  delighted  to  go.  As  for  Marie,  she 
talked  of  nothing  but  the  beautiful  house  and 
gardens,  the  flowers  to  be  strewn  on  the  floor 
for  Mme.  Girot  to  walk  upon,  the  beautiful 
new  clothes  the  girls  would  wear,  the  illumi- 
nation at  night,  and  last  but  not  least,  "  the 
lovely  things  which  they  would  have  to  eat." 


THE   FESTIVAL   OF  MI-CAREME.        157 

So  Hakkouki  decided  to  go.  Who  could 
resist  after  hearing  Marie  talk  of  it  ? 

"  Where  do  you  come  from  ? "  asked  Marie, 
one  day. 

';  From  Persia,"  answered  Hakkouki. 

"  And  where  is  that  ?  In  Africa  ?  "  asked 
Marie,  simply. 

"  It's  farther  than  Africa,"  said  Hakkouki. 

"  And  how  did  you  know  of  M.  Girot  so 
far  away  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  I  didn't  know  of  him  until  I  came  here," 
said  Hakkouki. 

Marie  turned  her  great  eyes  in  surprise 
upon  him. 

"  And  did  you  come  so  far  without  know- 
ing where  you  could  get  work?" 

"  Yes,"  laughed  Hakkouki. 

"  Who  told  you  to  come  to  him  ?  " 

"  Madame  of  the  '  Fort  Lion.'  " 

"  Ah,  you  know  Madame  ? "  said  Marie, 
looking  pleased. 

"  I  am  living  with  her,"  replied  Hakkouki. 
"  Her  son  Pierre  sent  me  to  stay  with  her." 


158  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

Then  Marie  bent  her  head  forward  blush- 
ingly,  and  asked  softly,  "  Do  you  know 
Pierre  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Hakkouki.  "Why  does  he 
not  live  here  ?  " 

"Ah,"  said  Marie,  sadly,  "it  is  not  his 
fault.  It  is  old  Madarne's.  She  is  so  stingy. 
She  says  he  must  work  just  as  she  did,  and 
yet  she  is  rich.  Pierre  has  no  need  to  work. 
He  should  live  in  a  fine  house  and  drive  fine 
horses.  Ah  !  Pierre  can  drive  so  beautifully." 
Then  the  girl  became  quiet,  and  worked  very 
hard. 

A  few  days  later,  Hakkouki  was  ordered 
to  work  in  the  distillery.  Here  the  flower 
petals  were  placed  upon  a  glass  slab  coated 
with  prepared  fat.  After  the  petals  were 
laid  on  half  an  inch  deep,  a  glass  lid  prepared 
in  the  same  manner  was  closed  over  the 
flowers.  The  fat  absorbs  the  perfume  in 
from  twelve  to  twenty-four  hours.  When 
it  is  saturated,  it  is  packed  in  tins  for  ship- 
ment. In  this  way  the  fleeting  odors  of  the 


THE   FESTIVAL    OF  MI-CARE  ME.        159 

flowers  are  caught  and  held  until  washed  out 
with  alcohol. 

Hakkouki  was  set  to  work  spreading  the 
flo \vers  upon  the  glass  slabs,  for  they  must 
be  often  replenished.  Some  delicate  per- 
fumes require  fifty  to  eighty  new  layers  of 
petals  upon  the  same  fat.  Those  flowers 
which  are  very  strong  in  perfume  do  not 
need  to  be  replenished  as  many  times.  It 
takes  sixteen  thousand  kilos  of  rose  petals 
to  make  one  kilo  of  French  otto  of  rose. 

In  some  factories  all  flowers  but  the  violet 
after  "  triage  "  are  simply  shot  down  through 
a  trap-door  at  the  end  of  the  building,  and 
here  thrust  into  caldrons  of  boiling-hot  fat. 
This  process  extracts  the  perfume  more 
quickly,  but  is  more  wasteful,  as  much  fra- 
grance passes  off  into  the  air.  It  seemed 
almost  sacrilege  to  Hakkouki  that  these 
beautiful  flowers  should  be  so  barbarously 
treated,  but  he  was  answered,  "  Roses  are 
said  to  be  born  to  live  but  a  morning,  and 
here  we  immortalize  them." 


160  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

While  at  this  work,  Hakkouki  was  still 
able  to  take  his  luncheon  with  Marie  and 
her  sulky  brother  Jean ;  but  when  the  orange 
blossom  season  began,  and  he  went  among 
the  trees  to  gather  the  blossoms,  he  lost 
sight  of  his  friends  for  a  time. 

Among  the  close-growing,  round-topped 
trees  he  worked,  from  early  morning  until 
late  at  night.  The  scent  was  so  overpow- 
ering that  occasionally  one  of  his  fellow- 
workers  would  drop  silently  to  the  ground 
in  a  faint.  But  Hakkouki  found  himself 
able  to  work  with  the  best  of  them.  After 
a  time  he  began  to  understand  why  the 
festival  of  mi-careme  was  so  joyously  an- 
ticipated by  the  flower  workers.  He  actu- 
ally found  himself  counting  the  time  which 
must  elapse  before  that  day  of  rest  and 
enjoyment. 

"Work  surely  brings  pleasure,  after  all," 
said  Hakkouki.  "  How  else  could  I  ever 
have  longed  so  earnestly  for  this  one  gala- 
day  ?  " 


THE   FESTIVAL   OF  MI-CAR  EME.        161 

"  Provence  is  the  garden  of  France,  and 
Grasse  the  garden  of  Provence." 

All  its  ways  seem  to  presuppose  pleasant- 
ness and  its  paths  peace,  yet  from  the  ear- 
liest times  until  the  last  century  there  has 
been  fighting  and  much  cruel  suffering  here. 
Beginning  with  the  time  of  the  invasions  of 
remote  and  barbarous  tribes  of  Moors,  who 
made  their  way  here  and  carried  the  inhabi- 
tants off  as  slaves,  it  has  been  sacked  by  the 
Spaniards,  involved  in  disputes  with  rival 
popes,  destroyed  by  Francis  I.  on  the  ap- 
proach of  Charles  V.,  and  plundered  by 
Charles  V.  when  he  did  reach  it ;  it  suffered 
in  the  war  of  succession  in  Poland,  and  even 
worse  for  Maria  Theresa's  war  with  Fred- 
erick the  Great.  Almost  every  European 
war  has  made  itself  felt  in  Provence.  It 
was  either  occupied  by  the  enemy,  or  its 
fortifications  destroyed  lest  it  should  be  oc- 
cupied. Sometimes  the  enemy  demanded 
ten  thousand  bottles  of  scent  hi  ransom, 
but  this  was  only  in  addition  to  as  much 


162  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

money  as  would  have  been  demanded  with- 
out the  scent. 

On  this  industry  has  Grasse  lived  and 
thriven,  and  its  inhabitants  become  enriched. 
Mme.  de  Pompadour  is  said  to  have  spent 
five  million  francs  in  one  year  on  perfumes, 
mostly  produced  in  this  little  town  by  its 
hard-working  people. 

On  the  day  of  mi-careme,  however,  nobody 
worked.  Even  Pierre  came  from  Cannes; 
for  who  else  could  drive  the  prize-car  in  the 
procession  of  the  "  boeuf-gras "  so  well  as 
he?  said  old  Madame.  If  Pierre  were  not 
admired  as  a  worker,  he  certainly  was  as  a 
fancy  driver.  And  a  wild  day  it  was,  to 
be  sure. 

Hakkouki,  in  his  small  room  on  the  bal- 
cony just  over  the  pavement  was  awakened 
at  an  early  hour  by  the  stir.  The  furniture 
and  mattresses  must  be  dusted  and  beaten 
in  the  street,  and  "  young  Madame' s  "  chil- 
dren must  be  dressed,  scolded,  and  punished, 
all  before  breakfast  in  the  open  air. 


THE   FESTIVAL    OF  MI-CAREME.         163 

He  dressed  himself  in  holiday  attire,  and 
after  the  noisy  breakfast,  joined  the  proces- 
sion on  Pierre's  coach. 

Through  the  narrow,  winding  alleys,  under 
the  arched  buttresses  thrown  from  house  to 
house,  Pierre  drove,  to  the  admiration  of  all. 

The  streets  were  gay  with  flags  and  fes- 
toons, and  bright  with  the  high-colored 
shoulder-scarfs  and  skirts  of  the  women. 
The  smiling  faces,  white  teeth,  and  brilliant 
eyes  of  the  people  were  good  to  look  upon, 
and  would  long  be  remembered  by  Hakkouki. 

In  the  crowd  Hakkouki  recognized  Marie 
and  her  brother.  Even  Jean  could  not  re- 
tain his  sulky  expression  that  day.  Con- 
fetti was  flying  in  showers,  and  peals  of 
merry  laughter  made  sweeter  music  than  the 
flutes  and  other  instruments.  Then  there 
was  the  carnival,  and  the  masqued  figures 
in  costume  forcing  their  way  through  the 
crowd,  the  fakirs,  the  fair,  and  all  the  wild 
tumult.  But  always  there  was  courtesy 
and  merriment  among  these  fun-loving  peo- 


164  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN, 

pie,  who  neither  drink  to  excess  nor  fight. 
In  the  evening  came  the  fete  at  M.  Girot's 
house,  for  all  his  employees. 

"  Come  with  us,"  said  Marie  to  Hakkouki, 
but  her  glance  toward  Pierre  was  far  more 
inviting. 

"  It  will  all  be  just  as  I  have  told  you," 
said  Marie,  hastening  along  in  the  direction 
of  M.  Girot's  house.  "  See  the  beautiful 
gateway,  and  oh !  the  heavenly  gardens. 
Did  I  not  tell  you?"  asked  she.  "But  then 
you  could  not  know  how,  beautiful  it  was 
until  you  saw  it.  See  the  beds  of  roses,  and 
there  are  the  violets.  Madame  loves  violets 
best  of  all.  And  those  little  white  flowers 
are  the  anemones." 

It  seemed  strange  that  this  girl  who  lived 
her  life  among  the  flowers  should  love  them 
so  ardently. 

"  And  there  !  "  called  she,  excitedly,  drag- 
ging Hakkouki  along  by  the  hand,  "  there's 
the  house.  Did  you  ever  see  so  beautiful  a 
house  ?  It  is  of  stone  ;  and  see  the  vines  and 


SEE  THE  BEDS  OF  ROSES,  AND  THERE  ARE  THE  VIOLETS.'" 


THE  FESTIVAL   OF  MI-CARE  ME.        165 

the  ivy  growing  over  it.  Monsieur  built  it 
when  he  married  Madame,"  she  whispered  in 
Hakkouki's  ear.  "  But  come,  we  must  go 
to  the  other  side  where  Madame  stands  on 
the  balcony,  and  you  will  see  how  beautiful 
she  is." 

Breathlessly  this  enthusiastic  girl  pulled 
Hakkouki  along  through  the  garden.  Every- 
where in  the  paths  and  under  the  trees  tables 
were  spread,  and  great  crowds  of  gayly 
dressed  people  in  the  highest  spirits  walked 
about. 

"  There  she  is,"  whispered  Marie,  "  and 
there  is  M.  Girot  beside  her,  and  Francois, 
the  new  foreman.  Oh,  isn't  she  beautiful  ? 
Did  you  ever  see  such  a  beautiful  lady  ? " 

They  were  immediately  in  front  of  the  low 
balcony,  where  stood  Mme.  Girot  in  all  her 
sweet  infantile  beauty.  To  Hakkouki's  as- 
tonishment, he  found  that  she  was  no  other 
than  his  little  fellow-traveller  from  Cannes 
to  Grasse.  Lifting  his  hat,  he  looked  at 
her,  and  smiled  in  answer  to  her  greeting. 


166  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

She  recognized  him  at  once,  and  her  face 
flushed. 

At  that  moment  the  young  foreman,  who 
stood  near  her,  gave  a  cry  of  astonishment. 

"  It  is  he  !  It  is  surely  he !  "  he  said, 
loudly. 

"Who?"  asked  Mme.  Girot,  turning 
toward  the  excited  boy. 

"  Hakkouki !  My  Hakkouki  from  Bul- 
garia !  And  before  that  from  Persia,  where 
he  is  a  great  lord!  "  And  Francois  —  for  so 
he  proved  to  be  —  sprang  from  the  balcony 
toward  the  man  he  looked  upon  as  little  less 
than  a  god. 

"  For  the  land's  sake ! "  ejaculated  Ma- 
dame in  good  Yankee  English. 

Her  interest  and  curiosity  were  roused  im- 
mediately, and  she  smiled  again  upon  him. 
Hakkouki,  however,  did  not  see  it,  for  he  was 
led  off  by  FranQois,  Pierre,  Marie,  and  his 
other  new-found  friends. 

Afterward,  Hakkouki  remembered  that 
although  Mme.  Girot  received  the  people  at 


THE   FESTIVAL    OF  MI-CAREME.        167 

her  home,  she  did  it,  not  as  one  of  them,  but 
with  an  air  of  condescension  and  patronage, 
as  if,  indeed,  she  were  a  being  far  superior. 
Yet,  to  Hakkouki,  that  day  of  pure,  simple 
enjoyment  was  a  very  happy  one ;  and  he 
told  his  friends  so. 

As  they  seated  themselves  about  one  of  the 
tables,  and  Hakkouki  noted  the  joy  of  these 
simple  peasant  folk,  he  was  glad  that  he  had 
entered  Grasse  as  a  workman.  Not  only  did 
he  feel  that  their  friendship  was  truer  than 
that  of  the  higher  classes,  but  he  had  proved 
to  his  satisfaction  that  money  was  not  a 
necessity  in  the  pursuit  of  happiness.  Then, 
from  the  brilliantly  lighted  garden,  with  its 
flowers  and  merry  laughter,  his  mind  flew 
back  to  his  adopted  land  and  Drusa. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

NEW   FRIENDS. 

T^HE  festival  of  the  mi-careme  being  over, 
and  Hakkouki  having  by  that  time 
gained  a  fairly  good  general  knowledge  of  the 
perfume-giving  flowers  of  Southern  France, 
he  made  plans  to  leave  Grasse  and  continue 
his  search  for  information  in  the  New  World. 
Mexico  and  the  vanilla  bean  were  to  be  his 
next  study.  As  Fran 90 is  pleaded  hard  to 
accompany  his  idol  on  this  journey,  Hak- 
kouki consented  to  take  him. 

When  Hakkouki  made  his  determination 
known  to  Marie,  she  asked,  "  And  have  you 
nothing  more  to  learn  in  France?" 

"  Indeed,  yes,"  answered  Hakkouki. 
"  There  is  doubtless  more  to  learn  in  France 
than  any  short  lifetime  could  accomplish, 

168 


NEW  FRIENDS.  169 

but  as  it  is  only  flowers  that  I  am  studying,  I 
must  push  on." 

"  And  are  there  no  more  flowers  to  study?" 
persisted  Marie,  for  she  was  loath  to  have  her 
new  friend  go. 

"  Here  in  this  garden,"  said  Hakkouki,  "  I 
have  watched  the  orange  blossom,  the  rose, 
the  violet,  the  jasmine,  the  heliotrope,  the 
wallflower  —  " 

"  Ah  !  "  said  Marie,  "  but  there  is  one  that 
you  have  not  seen,  —  the  lavender." 

"I  am  told  that  lavender  grows  in  Eng- 
land," said  Hakkouki. 

"Does  it?"  asked  Marie.  "I  know  there 
are  many  cultivators  of  it  near  the  mountain 
of  Ventoux  in  Vaucluse." 

"  Then  to  Vaucluse  I  shall  go,"  said  Hak- 
kouki. 

Hakkouki  found  Fra^ois  an  interesting 
companion  as  well  as  a  faithful  friend.  The 
boy  had  profited  much  by  his  schooling. 

"Ah,  Monsieur,"  said  he,  "  I  always  meant 
to  find  you.  I  studied  that  I  might  learn 


170  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

how,  and  when  the  mayor  of  Kalofer  died, 
and  they  told  me  I  must  work,  I  went  to 
work  that  I  might  find  you." 

u  Did  they  tell  you  that  the  money  I  left 
for  you  was  gone  in  such  a  short  time  ? " 
asked  Hakkouki. 

"  Yes ;  they  said  I  had  been  a  burden  to  the 
mayor  for  a  long  time." 

"  Truly,"  said  Hakkouki,  "  honest  men  are 
hard  to  find." 

"  I  was  only  a  beggar  boy,  you  know," 
said  Francois,  "  and  as  my  mother  was 
French,  they  said  it  was  right  that  I  should 
go  to  her  country  to  earn  my  living.  So 
they  sent  me  to  Grasse.  M.  Girot  is  a  rela- 
tive of  my  mother,  and  he  took  me  as  his 
foreman ;  but  he  never  could  have  done  so  if 
I  had  not  studied  books,  and  that  I  have  to 
thank  you  for,  Monsieur." 

In  the  Department  of  Vaucluse  the  lavender 
is  cultivated  in  the  greatest  abundance.  It 
flourishes  best  in  a  dry,  sandy  soil. 

"  We  will  stay  in  the  village  of  Vaucluse," 


NEW  FRIENDS.  171 

said  Hakkouki.  Here,  in  this  tiny  village  of 
five  hundred  and  ninety  souls,  was  not  only 
the  factory  for  distilling  lavender,  which  con- 
stitutes a  very  important  branch  of  commerce, 
but  also  a  silk  factory,  and  one  for  the  prepa- 
ration of  madder  and  of  paper.  Its  industri- 
ous population  worked  early  and  late. 

Hakkouki  and  Fra^ois  visited  the  enclo- 
sures of  dry  land  where  the  lavender  was 
cultivated,  and  found  a  low  shrub  from  one 
to  three  feet  high,  with  irregular  dull  green 
leaves  and  spikes  of  small,  bluish  gray  flowers 
growing  on  long  stalks.  In  this  locality  they 
cut  the  stalks  with  sickles,  and  distilled  the 
stalk  with  the  blossoms. 

"  But,"  said  the  foreman  of  the  works, 
"  in  England,  where  they  distil  only  the 
blossoms,  they  produce  an  oil  of  much  finer 
quality.  We  manufacture  three  thousand  to 
four  thousand  kilogrammes  a  year,  worth 
twenty  thousand  to  thirty  thousand  francs, 
but  the  English  lavender,  being  more  delicate 
in  perfume,  is  worth  four  times  as  much." 


172  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

As  soon  as  they  had  gathered  what  infor- 
mation they  could  get  about  French  oil  of 
lavender,  Hakkouki  took  Francois  to  visit  the 
wonderful  "  Fontaine  de  Vaucluse,"  which 
is  a  natural  cascade  in  the  mountains. 

"This  is  a  place,"  said  Frangois,  "where 
one  might  come  and  live  forever." 

"  So  said  the  poet  Petrarch,"  answered 
Hakkouki.  "  There,"  he  continued,  pointing 
beyond  the  magnificent  chateau  which  bears 
his  name,  "is  the  spot  where  he  was  born." 

The  grandeur  of  the  scene,  the  powerful 
voice  of  nature  in  the  rushing  waters,  im- 
pressed Hakkouki  in  a  way  not  soon  to  be 
forgotten ;  and,  like  Frangois,  he  too  might 
have  wished  never  to  leave  the  place,  but 
for  his  ambition.  There,  in  close  touch  and 
sympathy  with  nature,  at  which  time  a  man 
comes  nearest  to  all  that  is  divine  within 
him,  he  thought  continually  of  Drusa. 

On  the  way  down  the  mountain  side  to 
the  quiet,  sunlit  valley  below,  he  said  to 
Frangois,  "  We  will  go  to  England,  and  at 


NEW  FRIENDS.  173 

a  place  called  Liverpool  we  will  step  aboard 
a  steamer  and  sail  across  the  seas  to  Mexico." 

Francois  was  all  delight,  for  he  had  heard 
of  England.  "  It  is  an  island,  is  it  not  ?  "  he 
asked. 

Mexico,  however,  seemed  very  far  away. 
Yet  with  Hakkouki,  he  thought,  one  surely 
might  go  anywhere. 

They  journeyed  first  to  London,  where, 
within  a  radius  of  thirty  miles,  the  lavender 
is  grown  largely.  In  Surrey  alone  there  are 
three  hundred  and  fifty  acres  devoted  to  it. 

It  is  only  within  recent  years  that  it  has 
been  cultivated  in  England  for  the  purpose 
of  producing  essential  oil,  although  dried 
lavender  flowers  have  been  used  from  time 
immemorial.  Even  the  Komans  made  use 
of  them  in  scenting  their  baths. 

From  London  our  travellers  took  train  to 
Hertfordshire,  and  alighted  at  a  station  called 
Hitchin.  In  this  place  two  thousand  gallons 
of  oil  are  produced  each  year.  As  the  gath- 
ering of  flowers  and  distillation  takes  place 


174  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

in  July,  they  were  just  in  time  to  watch  the 
most  interesting  part  of  the  process.  The 
plants  are  set  out  in  early  spring  in  rows  a 
yard  apart.  When  three  years  old  they  are 
at  their  best,  and  at  seven  years,  having 
made  much  wood,  they  are  uprooted  and 
new  plants  set  out. 

As  they  entered  the  distillery,  the  strong 
aromatic  odor  of  lavender  was  almost  over- 
powering. 

"  Look  out  for  the  bees,"  said  the  man 
who  was  conducting  them  about. 

Thousands  of  the  insects  were  clinging 
tenaciously  to  the  tiny  flowers;  many  of 
them  even  preferring  death  in  the  huge 
boiling  caldrons  to  separation. 

"  How  much  better  things  are  arranged 
here  than  in  Bulgaria,"  said  Francois. 

Everything  was  done  to  guard  against 
waste.  The  covers  of  the  copper  pots  were 
closed  down  tightly,  and  luted  with  clay  or 
linseed  meal  to  prevent  the  fumes  from  es- 
caping. The  copper  stills  hold  two  hundred 


NEW  FRIENDS.  175 

gallons,  and  each  batch  produces  about  a 
pint  of  oil.  After  the  still  is  filled  with 
flowers  pressed  tightly  down,  boiling  water 
is  poured  over  them,  and  fires  lighted  be- 
neath the  kettles  to  keep  them  boiling. 
The  cover  is  shaped  like  a  huge  tobacco 
pipe,  with  the  bowl  turned  downward  over 
the  still.  The  process  of  distillation  is  the 
same  as  that  used  in  Bulgaria  and  France. 
Lavender  is  used  largely  in  combination  with 
other  perfumes  for  making  eau-de-cologne 
and  for  scenting  soaps.  When  first  distilled, 
it  has  an  unpleasant  odor,  but  in  a  twelve- 
month it  mellows  down  and  is  fit  for  use. 

England  alone  produces  thirty  thousand 
gallons  of  oil  a  year.  It  is  also  used  in 
medicine  as  a  tonic  for  asthma  and  hysteria, 
and  many  forms  of  nervous  diseases.  Sixty 
pounds  of  good  flowers  yield  about  sixteen 
fluid  ounces  of  oil. 

From  Liverpool  Hakkouki  found  he  could 
take  a  steamship  for  Vera  Cruz  on  the 
eastern  coast  of  Mexico,  stopping  only  at 


176  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

New  Orleans.  Before  leaving,  he  purchased 
not  only  sea-clothing,  but  books. 

"  We  are  now,  in  truth,  going  among  for- 
eigners and  must  learn  their  language,"  he 
said  to  Frangois. 

He  half  planned  to  leave  his  valuables  in 
charge  of  a  banker  in  Liverpool,  but  he  had 
not  yet  learned  the  confidence  of  business, 
and  felt  really  safer  to  carry  his  posses- 
sions with  him. 

Fran9ois  and  he  devoted  their  entire 
attention  aboard  ship  to  the  study  of  the 
Spanish  language,  and  were  pleased  to  find, 
upon  their  arrival  in  Vera  Cruz,  that  they 
could  at  least  ask  for  what  they  wanted. 

At  New  Orleans,  the  only  stopping-place 
on  the  voyage,  their  attention  was  called  to 
a  noisy  dispute  just  as  they  were  leaving 
the  wharf.  Leaning  over  the  rail,  they 
found  two  rnen  defying  the  porters  and 
quartermasters,  and  hurriedly  throwing  their 
trunks,  hand-bags,  and  engineering  instru- 
ments aboard. 


NEW  FRIENDS.  177 

While  one,  a  tall  man  with  blond  hair 
and  mustache,  stood  midway  up  the  gang- 
plank and  carried  on  a  vociferous  conversa- 
tion with  his  opponents,  the  other,  who  was 
small  and  dark,  did  the  work. 

"  I  tell  you,"  said  the  tall  one,  "  there's 
plenty  of  time  if  you  fellows  would  only  get 
to  work.  Hand  along  that  trunk  there." 

"  Get  off  the  gang-plank ! "  called  a  voice 
from  the  bridge. 

The  tall  man,  however,  would  not  hear. 
Quite  at  his  ease,  he  held  his  ground. 

"  Give  me  the  valise,  Vaughn,"  called  he 
to  his  companion,  who  was  at  this  moment  on 
the  pier,  breathless  from  running  back  and 
forth  over  the  gang-plank. 

"I'll  pitch  you  into  the  water  if  you  don't 
get  off!  We're  ten  minutes  late  already." 

"  Oh,  you're  off.  Your  ticker  is  wrong. 
Here's  the  correct  time,"  drawled  the  tall 
fellow,  taking  out  his  watch.  "  Plenty  of 
time,"  he  continued ;  te  only  one  more  valise. 
There  you  are,  Vaughn  !  " 


178  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

And  after  his  companion  had  passed  him, 
he  slowly  walked  inboard  amid  execrations 
from  the  men  and  laughter  from  the  pas- 
sengers. Bracing  back,  with  his  idle  hands 
in  his  pockets,  and  a  broad  smile  on  his 
face,  he  addressed  the  crowd :  — 

"  Begad !  Any  one  would  think  this  was  an 
express  train,"  he  said. 

No  one  could  resist  the  contagion  of  his 
merriment.  A  few  minutes  later,  the  second 
officer,  with  a  memorandum  book  and  pencil, 
stepped  up  to  him,  and  in  a  severe  voice 
demanded  his  name. 

"  Why,  Mulligan,  of  course,"  he  replied. 

The  crowd  laughed. 

"  No  fault  of  mine  either.  'Twas  the  old 
man  gave  me  the  name,"  he  explained  with  a 
smile. 

"Where  do  you  come  from?"  asked  the 
officer. 

"  New  Orleans,"  answered  Mulligan. 

"  I  know  that,"  said  the  officer,  impatiently. 

"  If  ye  know  it  then,  why  are  ye  asking  me  ?  " 


NEW  FRIENDS.  179 

"  I  mean,  where  is  your  home,  you  scoun- 
drel," said  the  angry  officer. 

"My  home?"  ejaculated  Mulligan.  "Tell 
me,  if  a  man  has  had  a  thing  and  lost  it,  can 
he  tell  where  it  is  ?  " 

"  Sometimes,"  answered  the  officer,  fretfully. 

"Well,  where's  your  temper?"  said  Mulli- 
gan. Then  he  threw  back  his  head  with  a 
peal  of  laughter,  which  was  caught  up  and 
ran  round  the  whole  deck. 

It  sobered  and  quieted  the  officer,  who, 
seeing  that  he  was  in  danger  of  losing  his 
dignity  as  well,  said  quietly :  — 

"  I  want  your  name  and  address.  I  want  to 
know  where  to  find  you  on  account  of  this 
disturbance  at  the  wharf." 

Mulligan  took  the  book,  wrote  something 
in  it,  and  handed  it  back  to  the  officer.  After 
reading  it,  the  latter  asked,  "  Are  you  an 
American  ?  " 

"  Why,  yes,  I  was  brought  up  in  Boston." 

"  Were  you  born  there  ?  " 

"  No,  I  was  born  in  Ireland." 


180  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

"  Then  aren't  you  an  Irishman  ?  " 

"  An  Irishman !  If  a  man  is  born  in  a 
stable,  is  he  a  horse  ?  " 

Amid  the  roars  of  laughter  which  followed 
this,  the  officer  saw  fit  to  withdraw. 

Later,  when  Vaughn  had  finished  gather- 
ing his  belongings  together,  Francois,  who 
was  much  interested  in  these  impertinent 
fellows,  and  had  followed  them  about,  was 
delighted  to  hear  them  speaking  in  French. 
As  they  were  speaking  confidentially,  Fran- 
gois  thought  it  proper  to  let  them  know 
that  he  understood  them. 

"Excuse  me,  Monsieur,"  he  said  to  Mulli- 
gan, "  I  overheard  you  speaking  in  French." 

"  Certainly,"  said  Mulligan.  u  A  French- 
man are  you,  or  from  New  Orleans?" 

"No,  I'm  from  France,"  replied  Frangois. 
"Do  Frenchmen  come  from  New  Orleans?" 

"  Vaughn's  from  New  Orleans.  He's 
French.  I've  lived  there  five  years,  and 
I'm  almost  French  myself.  I  suppose  you 
know  that  many  Americans  use  your  polite 


NEW  FRIENDS.  181 

language.  Vaughn  and  I  are  going  to 
work  on  the  railroad  near  Tampico.  Lots 
of  engineers  have  been  sent  out.  Won't 
you  sit  down  and  talk  awhile  ?  What 
are  you  going  to  Mexico  for?" 

"  I'm  going  out  with  M.  Hakkouki  to 
find  out  all  about  vanilla." 

"  Hakkouki,"  said  Mulligan,  smiling ; 
"that's  a  strange  name." 

"  Yes,"  said  Francois ;   "  he  is  a  Persian." 

"Is  that  his  last  name?" 

"  No,  it  is  his  Christian  name." 

Mulligan  then  threw  back  his  head  and 
laughed  loudly. 

"  How  can  a  Mohammedan  have  a  Chris- 
tian name  ?  " 

Frangois  thought  best  not  to  discuss  Hak- 
kouki's  affairs. 

"Do  you  expect  to  have  trouble  from 
the  man  who  questioned  you?"  he  asked. 
"I  saw  him  taking  your  name." 

"Trouble?  Well,  I'll  let  you  know 
later,"  laughed  Mulligan.  "He  wanted  to 


182  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

know  where  my  home  was,  where  I  lived. 
How  can  I  tell  ?  Here  I  am,  an  orphan, 
without  a  cent  in  the  world  nor  a  friend, 
except  Vaughn."  He  nudged  Vaughn  affec- 
tionately. "How's  a  fellow  going  to  know 
where  he  lives  until  he  gets  where  he 
lives?" 

Frangois  looked  with  great,  wondering 
eyes  upon  this  big,  jolly  man,  who  looked 
so  rich  and  well  dressed ;  and  who  was 
describing  himself  just  such  a  beggar  as  he 
had  been. 

"  Why,"  continued  Mulligan,  "  it  reminded 
me  of  a  servant  girl  who  once  lived  with 
my  mother.  Some  time  after  she  had  left 
our  employ,  my  mother  met  her  on  the 
street  and  said,  e  Well,  Mary,  where  are  you 
living  now?'  ' Please,  mum,'  said  Mary, 
1 1  ain't  living  nowhere  now.  I'm  married.' 
You  see,"  he  went  on,  "  we  sent  the  bag- 
gage down  last  night  so  there  would  be 
nothing  to  do  but  take  ourselves  down  this 
morning,  but  even  then  we  ran  all  the  way." 


NEW  FRIENDS.  183 

"  You  didn't  run  fast  enough,"  suggested 
Fra^ois. 

"  Oh,  yes,  we  did,  but  we  didn't  start 
soon  enough ;  nest  ce  pas,  Vaughn  ?  "  said 
the  big  man,  giving  his  friend  another  dig 
in  the  ribs,  at  which  Vaughn  moved  some- 
what farther  away. 

During  the  voyage  the  two  Americans 
possessed  the  greatest  attraction  for  Fran- 
9ois.  He  watched  with  curious  interest  the 
extravagance  of  these  men  without  a  cent 
in  the  world.  He  thought  it  strange  that 
two  persons  of  one  race  should  be  so  ut- 
terly unlike.  In  spite  of  their  professed 
poverty,  they  dressed  well,  were  shaved 
daily  by  the  barber,  had  their  boots  black- 
ened by  the  boot-black  aboard,  and  spent 
money  to  an  extent  that  made  Francois 
wonder. 

There  were  a  number  of  engineers  aboard; 
for  the  building  of  the  railroad  and  the 
improvement  of  the  harbor  at  Tampico  were 
great  undertakings.  Until  this  time  Vera 


184  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

Cruz  had  been  the  only  good  harbor  on  the 
east  coast  of  Mexico.  Tampico  is  to-day 
considered  the  only  good  harbor  on  the  east 
coast. 

Francois  saw  much  of  the  engineers  up 
to  the  time  of  arrival  in  Vera  Cruz.  He  also 
took  a  great  liking  to  one  of  the  passengers 
named  Shaw,  who  spent  his  time  laughing  at 
everything  which  fell  from  Mulligan's  lips. 

Under  the  very  walls  of  the  castle  fortress 
San  Juan  de  Ulua,  the  steamer  dropped 
anchor.  Even  then  they  were  almost  a  mile 
from  the  "  mole,"  where  seems  concentrated 
the  life  of  the  city.  In  clear  weather  the 
volcano  of  Orijaba  can  be  seen  sixty  miles 
inland,  its  profile  sharply  cut  against  the  blue 
sky. 

Vera  Cruz  is  the  spot  where  Cortez  landed 
in  1519,  and  raised  the  cross  in  the  name  of 
Spain.  He  called  the  volcano  the  star  of  the 
sea,  and  it  well  deserves  its  name,  for  its 
crystal  peak,  borne  on  high  17,500  feet,  can 
be  seen  one  hundred  miles  away. 


NEW  FRIENDS.  185 

"This  fortress,"  said  Vaughn,  who  had 
been  in  Mexico  before,  "  is  said  to  be  impreg- 
nable, although  it  has  been  captured  every 
time  it  has  been  besieged.  The  dungeon, 
which  is  below  the  water  level,  is  still  made 
use  of  for  political  prisoners." 

They  were  so  near  the  fortress  that  a  can- 
non, which  boomed  in  salute,  fairly  jarred 
the  deck  of  the  steamship. 

"  Sure,  we're  all  deaf  from  the  noise  of  it," 
said  Mulligan.  "  I  knew  a  man  once  who  was 
made  completely  deaf  by  the  explosion  from  a 
cannon  near  him,  and  for  two  weeks  after  he 
couldn't  hear  a  thing  unless  it  was  written." 

They  boarded  the  small  boats  shaded  by 
awnings  and  propelled  by  boatmen  clad  in 
immaculate  garments  of  white,  and  were  soon 
at  the  quay.  Vera  Cruz  is  one  of  the  hottest 
as  well  as  the  most  unhealthy  of  any  of  the 
cities  of  Mexico,  and  yet,  by  strange  anomaly, 
it  is  likewise  the  cleanest.  The  architecture 
is  a  mixture  of  Moorish  and  Spanish.  Since 
many  of  the  inhabitants  are  German  and 


186  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

French  merchants,  this  foreign  influence  is 
also  noticeable.  The  prevalence  of  yellow 
fever  makes  it  necessary  for  all  the  wealthy 
residents  to  have  homes  in  a  higher  altitude, 
and  Jalapa  (pronounced  Halapa),  four  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  sea-level,  is  chosen  for 
this  purpose.  Though  Vera  Cruz  has  suf- 
fered more  than  any  other  city  in  Mexico 
from  plagues,  pirates,  and  hurricanes,  to-day 
it  exists  as  a  prosperous  and  well-conditioned 
city. 

It  was  sacked  by  the  pirates  Agramont  and 
Lorencillo  in  1568 ;  a  terrible  fire  swept  over 
it  in  1618 ;  destroyed  again  by  pirates  and 
three  hundred  and  sixty  of  its  inhabitants 
killed  in  1683 ;  bombarded  by  the  Spaniards 
in  1822  ;  attacked  by  the  French  in  1838 ; 
suffered  from  cannonade  by  the  Ameri- 
can fleet  in  1847;  and  nearly  destroyed  by 
a  hurricane  in  1856.  In  1861  the  "inter- 
vention "  fleet  made  its  appearance  in  the 
harbor,  and  destroyed  all  its  shipping,  and 
was  held  in  possession  of  the  French  until 


NEW  FRIENDS.  187 

1867.  Since  that  time  the  cause  of  freedom 
has  been  triumphant,  and  nothing  has  oc- 
curred to  interrupt  its  career  of  commercial 
prosperity.  Vera  Cruz  bears  the  distinguished 
title  of  "heroic,"  granted  by  Congress  in  honor 
of  the  many  sieges  it  has  gallantly  sustained. 

Hakkouki  was  joined  by  Mulligan,  Vaughn, 
and  Shaw,  when  he  left  the  boat  at  the 
wharf,  to  the  great  delight  of  FranQois. 
Having  ordered  their  baggage  sent  to  a 
hotel,  which  they  found  ranked  with  the 
best,  they  walked  on  toward  the  Plaza,  an 
attractive  open  space  with  marble  walks  and 
wind-blown  trees.  Mulligan  was  searching 
for  an  opportunity  to  get  his  boots  blacked, 
for  they  had  become  wet  in  the  small  boat. 
The  Mexicans  have  little  use  for  such  a  con- 
venience, as  they  generally  go  barefoot,  both 
men  and  women. 

The  wealthy  classes  are  seldom  seen  on 
the  street,  particularly  the  women. 

Soon  they  were  greeted  by  the  sign, 
"Boots  blacked  within." 


188  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

"As  one  might  expect  in  this  place,"  said 
Mulligan.  "Why  should  they  black  the 
inside  of  your  boot  instead  of  the  outside  ? " 

The  place  was  evidently  meant  to  accom- 
modate Americans,  for  the  sign  was  in 
English. 

After  a  "  shine  "  they  walked  on  together. 
Their  progress  was  impeded  by  a  funeral 
procession,  and  they  were  ordered  to  stand 
with  uncovered  heads  by  the  gentlemanly 
policeman.  It  was  a  procession  of  great 
pomp  and  ostentation,  gorgeous  uniforms, 
and  flowers. 

"  It  must  be  the  king's  funeral,"  whispered 
Francois. 

"  There  is  no  king ;  he  is  a  president," 
said  Mulligan. 

"  Whose  do  you  suppose  it  is  ?  "  said  Fran- 
Qois,  burning  with  curiosity. 

"Well,  I  can't  be  sure,  but  I'm  after 
thinking  it's  the  man's  in  the  coffin,"  whis- 
pered Mulligan,  in  awestruck  tones.  "  And  a 
fragile-looking  coffin  it  is,  too,"  he  added,  for 


NEW  FRIENDS.  189 

through  the  glass  hearse  it  could  be  plainly 
seen. 

"  I  heard  of  a  man  once  who  had  a  stone 
coffin  made  for  him,"  whispered  FranQois. 

"  That  was  good,"  answered  Mulligan, 
under  his  breath.  "A  stone  coffin  would  last 
a  lifetime,  anyway." 

They  stopped  next  at  a  bank;  for  the 
engineers  were  going  into  the  "  wilds,"  as 
they  called  it,  and  could  take  nothing  of 
value  with  them.  Hakkouki  was  much  in- 
terested in  the  institution. 

"Why  don't  you  put  your  money  in  this 
savings  bank?"  asked  Mulligan  of  him. 

"  How  can  I  draw  it  out  again  when  I 
want  it  ? "  asked  Hakkouki. 

"  It's  easy  enough,"  said  Mulligan.  "  If 
you  put  it  in  to-day,  you  can  get  it  out  to- 
morrow by  giving  a  fortnight's  notice." 

FranQois  laughed  heartily.  To  him  the 
big  Irish-American  was  the  funniest  man  in 
the  world.  He  saw,  too,  that  Mulligan  en- 
joyed being  laughed  at. 


190  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

"  Did  you  take  after  your  father  ? "  asked 
Franqois,  thinking  of  Mulligan's  Irish  birth. 

"No,"  was  the  answer.  "  I  didn't  take  after 
my  father,  for  he  left  me  nothing  to  take." 

Most  of  that  day  they  spent  in  going  about 
to  equip  themselves  for  their  respective  jour- 
neys. Mulligan  had  brought  with  him  what 
he  thought  he  should  require.  But  Hakkouki 
and  Francois  had  nothing  suitable  for  the 
climate,  nor  had  Vaughn.  The  day  was  so 
warm  that  Vaughn  insisted  on  purchasing 
some  true  Mexican  clothing. 

"  No  one  knows,"  said  he,  "  how  to  dress  in 
any  country  so  well  as  the  people  who  live 
in  it." 

"  What,  you !  "  exclaimed  Mulligan,  with 
astonishment,  '''you  complaining  of  the  heat? 
Why,  friends,  he  is  so  cold-blooded  that  a  dog, 
who  bit  him  in  the  leg  last  winter,  froze  to 
death." 

"Do  you  think  Mulligan  always  tells  the 
truth?"  asked  Francois,  in  a  whisper  of 
Hakkouki. 


NEW  FRIENDS.  191 

They  were  waiting  in  the  front  part  of  the 
clothing  shop,  while  Vaughn,  who,  as  he  said, 
"  was  already  overcome  with  the  heat  of  the 
tropics,"  was  decking  himself  out  in  Mexican 
clothes.  At  last  he  appeared.  Being  small 
and  dark-hued,  he  looked  the  part  well,  but 
managed  his  serape  rather  awkwardly. 

This  garment  is  the  long,  narrow  shawl  no 
Mexican  ever  goes  without.  As  the  air  grows 
cold  at  night,  he  draws  his  serape  close  up 
round  his  neck,  and  even  covers  the  lower 
part  of  his  face.  The  great  sombrero  set  jaun- 
tily upon  Vaughn's  curling  hair,  but  he  was, 
nevertheless,  greeted  with  a  roar  of  laughter. 

"  Where  did  you  get  those  trousers  ?  "  asked 
Mulligan,  his  face  red  from  laughing,  and  the 
tears  glistening  on  his  cheeks. 

"I  got  them  where  they  grew,"  answered 
Vaughn,  indignantly. 

"Then,  by  my  conscience,"  s»id  Mulligan, 
"you  pulled  them  a  year  too  soon." 

"  I  wouldn't  wear  such  trousers  as  those," 
said 


192  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

"  Well,  now,"  said  Vaughn,  "  if  it  is  as  hot 
as  this  to-morrow,  I'll  bet  you  a  dollar  every 
one  of  you  will  be  wearing  them." 

"I  neither  bet  nor  gamble,"  answered 
Francois. 

"  Well,"  whispered  Mulligan  to  Shaw,  "  if 
he  is  no  gambler,  he's  no  better." 

And  sure  enough,  they  all  purchased  just 
such  clothes  as  Vaughn  had  bought,  the  next 
day. 

"  This  would  be  a  fine  place  to  live,"  said 
Vaughn,  later,  as  they  sat  reclining  at  their 
ease  in  the  comfortable  chairs  and  hammocks 
of  the  patio. 

"  It  would,  indeed,  be  a  good  place  to  live, 
if  it  weren't  for  the  heat  and  yellow  fever," 
said  Hakkouki. 

"And  bugs  and  spiders,"  added  Shaw. 

"And  this  system  of  caste,"  added  Mulli- 
gan, "  whichfrkeeps  all  the  pretty  girls  tied  up 
in  the  back  yards  for  fear  they'll  marry  an 
Indian  or  something  worse." 

"Yes,"    assented    Francois,   "it    must    be 


NEW  FRIENDS.  193 

especially  hard  for  you  Americans,  who  have 
your  liberty  and  no  aristocracy ;  you  have  no 
aristocracy  in  America,  have  you  ?  "  he  asked 
Mulligan. 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  aristocracy  ? " 
said  Mulligan,  who  was  a  little  touchy  on 
the  subject. 

"I  mean  people  who  do  no  work,  and 
whose  fathers  never  did,"  answered  Fran- 
Qois,  innocently. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Mulligan,  "  we  have 
plenty  of  them,  but  we  call  them  tramps." 

The  little  party  was  such  a  congenial  one 
that  Franqois  felt  sad  at  the  thought  of 
parting  next  day,  and  with  his  tendency 
toward  sentiment,  he  told  his  companions 
so. 

"On  my  word,  it  is  too  bad,"  said 
Vaughn.  "  I  shall  feel  the  parting  myself." 

"  And  Mulligan  also  ? "  asked  FranQois, 
timidly,  for  he  wanted  the  affection  of  this 
big,  merry  fellow. 

"Mulligan!"     laughed    Vaughn.       "The 


194  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

only  parting  that  ever  troubled  him  was  the 
parting  of  his  back  hair." 

"Very  good,"  said  Mulligan,  "but  rather 
too  pointed,  as  the  codfish  said  when  he 
swallowed  the  bait." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FORTUNE   FROWNS. 

A  T  three  the  next  morning  the  porter  of 
**  the  hotel  drew  Hakkouki  and  FranQois 
forth  from  the  cell  which  the  proprietor 
had  assigned  to  them  as  a  bedroom,  and 
led  the  way  to  the  station  through  dark 
and  cool  streets.  They  went  by  steam  six- 
teen miles,  and  then  changed  to  a  tram- 
way for  Jalapa;  for  in  the  vicinity  of  this 
town  the  vanilla  is  produced  in  its  greatest 
luxuriance. 

Three  cars  comprised  the  train,  divided 
into  first,  second,  and  third  class,  and  each 
drawn  by  four  mules.  Along  the  route 
numerous  black  crosses  marked  the  graves 
where  murdered  men  were  buried.  The 
road  rose  four  thousand  feet  within  the 

195 


196  THE    GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

seventy  miles'  distance ;  and  as  they  were 
pulled  up  by  mules,  they  felt  satisfied  to 
reach  Jalapa  in  twelve  hours.  The  scenery 
was  magnificent,  as  it  had  been  all  the 
way  after  reaching  the  uplands,  and  Hak- 
kouki  was  gratified  to  find  good  accommo- 
dations in  the  Hotel  Vera  Aruzana.  It 
was  a  low  building,  running  completely 
round  an  open  court  called  the  patio,  where 
fountains  played  and  flowers  and  birds 
abounded. 

Jalapa  signifies  the  place  of  water  and 
land.  Certainly  the  water  is  in  evidence; 
for  here,  like  Bergen  in  Norway,  it  may 
be  said  to  rain  eight  days  in  the  week. 
The  rain-filled  clouds  from  the  Gulf  strike 
the  cool  hills  only  to  pour  their  contents 
upon  them.  The  town  is  famous  for  the 
loveliest  flowers  and  most  beautiful  women 
in  all  Mexico.  From  its  gardens  may  be 
gathered  the  fruits  and  flowers  of  every 
zone.  Although  the  women  of  Mexico 
have  almost  invariably  dark  skins  and 


FORTUNE  FROWNS.  197 

black  eyes,  those  of  Jalapa  are  decided 
blondes.  Their  complexions  are  said  to 
rival  the  delicacy  of  the  petals  of  the 
orchids  which  grow  in  such  abundance 
there.  Among  the  special  products  of  the 
vicinity  is  the  aromatic  vanilla  plant,  which 
is  indigenous.  It  grows  wild  in  the  forests 
and  proves  a  great  source  of  income  to 
the  industrious  native  gatherers.  The 
Indians,  who  still  reside  in  their  primitive 
villages,  are  restricted  in  the  harvest  sea- 
son by  the  Alcade,  who  apportions  to  each 
his  share  in  the  labor. 

The  morning  following  Hakkouki's  arrival 
he  set  forth  with  an  Alcade  for  the  woods 
to  see  the  vanilla  growing. 

"  The  vanilla  has  been  known  here  since 
the  first  Spaniard  stepped  upon  the  soil,"  said 
the  Alcade.  "  Chocolate  flavored  with  vanilla 
was  placed  before  Cortez  by  Montezuma. 
Long  before  that,  however,  it  was  highly 
appreciated  by  the  Aztec  nobles  and  com- 
manded, even  in  those  days,  a  liberal  price." 


198  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

"I  have  read  that  it  was  first  brought  to 
Europe  as  a  perfume  in  1510,  ten  years 
before  tobacco  was  known,"  said  Hakkouki. 

"Here  is  the  plant,"  called  Frangois,  who 
had  run  on  ahead.  "  I  know  it  by  your 
description." 

"  Yes,  that  is  vanilla,"  said  the  Alcade. 

It  was  a  tall  climber,  with  long,  succulent 
green  stems,  white  aerial  roots,  and  bright 
green  leaves. 

"  The  native  mode  of  culture,"  said  the 
Alcade,  "  is  to  plant  the  cuttings  of  the  vine 
beneath  large  trees,  for  all  it  needs  is  shade 
and  moisture.  They  are  left  then  to  grow 
and  twine  around  supports  as  best  they  can. 
Occasionally,  for  the  sake  of  convenience, 
vines  are  trained  around  trees  to  prevent  their 
attaining  a  greater  height  than  nine  feet." 

As  it  was  late  in  the  season,  there  were 
few  pods  left  on  the  vines;  but  Hakkouki 
obtained  one  of  a  light  yellow  color,  which 
was  about  eight  inches  long  and  one-half  an 
inch  broad. 


FORTUNE  FROWNS.  199 

"This  is  not  the  season  in  which  we 
gather,  but  I  will  take  you  where  you  can 
see  the  bean  cured,"  said  the  Alcade.  "  I 
suppose  you  know  that  the  vanilla  of  Mexico 
is  superior  to  that  of  other  countries  like 
Tahiti  and  Reunion  Island." 

"  Why  is  that  ?  "  asked  Hakkouki. 

"It  is  our  peculiar  soil  and  climate,  and 
also  the  help  which  the  insects  give  us,"  an- 
swered the  Alcade.  "  Here  they  carry  the 
pollen  from  one  flower  to  the  pistil  of 
another;  whereas  in  other  places  this  must 
be  done  by  artificial  inoculation." 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  Hakkouki;  "I  have  read 
that  women  and  children  work  with  a  small 
stick  like  a  pencil  to  carry  the  pollen." 

"  Oh,  what  difficult  work  it  must  be  !  "  said 


The  flowers  in  blossom  on  the  vines  were  a 
greenish  yellow,  here  and  there  touched  with 
white. 

"The  pods  of  these  flowers  will  be  ready 
for  gathering  next  March  or  April,"  said  the 


200  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

Alcade.  "The  longer  the  pods  grow,  the 
greater  is  considered  their  value." 

During  their  stay  in  Jalapa,  they  visited 
the  homes  of  the  people  who  cured  and  dried 
the  beans  on  mats  before  their  mud  houses, 
great  care  being  required  to  prevent  their 
being  wet  by  the  constant  showers.  The 
pods  are  left  on  the  vine  until  they  show  a 
light  yellow  tinge,  then  the}'-  are  plunged 
half  a  minute  in  very  hot,  if  not  actually 
boiling,  water.  When  soft  and  brown  and 
ready  to  dry,  they  are  carefully  and  regularly 
pressed  between  the  fingers  and  slightly 
anointed  with  oil. 

Some  of  the  proprietors  had  boxes  with 
glass  covers  for  their  pods  to  dry  in.  After 
fifteen  days'  exposure  to  the  sun,  they  are 
taken  to  the  building  for  drying,  which  is 
made  throughout  of  corrugated  iron,  and  con- 
tains tiers  of  wire  shelves.  The  beans  are 
laid  on  the  top  one  at  first,  and  removed  to 
a  lower  level  later.  When  properly  cured, 
they  are  of  a  rich  dark  chocolate  color,  and 


FORTUNE  FROWNS.  201 

perfectly  free  from  moisture.  The  pods  are 
selected  according  to  their  size,  the  longest 
ones  being  considered  the  most  valuable,  and 
tied  up  in  packets  of  fifty.  These  packets, 
after  being  tied  in  the  middle,  and  again  near 
each  end,  are  carefully  put  up  in  closely  fit- 
ting tin  boxes.  When  vanilla  pods  are  in 
good  condition,  they  become  covered  with  an 
efflorescence  of  needles,  called  vanillin.  The 
interior  of  the  bean  is  then  soft,  unctuous,  and 
balsamic.  In  order  to  obtain  the  essence  or 
perfume,  one-half  pound  of  such  pods  are  cut 
up  small  and  put  into  one  gallon  of  pure 
alcohol.  The  ingredients  must  remain  to- 
gether four  weeks,  then  all  the  strength  of 
the  vanilla  will  be  found  in  the  spirit,  which 
may  be  strained  off  clear  and  bright.  Ex- 
tract of  clematis,  heliotrope,  wallflower,  etc., 
contain  about  half  vanilla  essence.  The 
United  States  is  the  principal  market  for 
these  beans. 

During  their  two  weeks'   stay,   Hakkouki 
and    Fra^ois   had    become    Mexicanized   to 


202  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

the  point  of  enjoying  the  tortilla,  which 
takes  the  place  of  bread,  and  pulque,  which 
takes  the  place  of  wine.  The  latter  is  said 
to  be  nourishing  and  quite  uninjurious.  It 
is  made  from  the  maguey  plant,  which  may 
be  called  the  "  general  utility  store  "  of  the 
Mexicans.  From  it  they  obtain  not  only 
pulque,  but  paper,  twine,  and  thread.  Poor 
people  thatch  their  houses  with  the  leaves, 
placing  one  over  the  other  like  shingles. 
Ropes  are  also  made  from  the  fibre. 

The  country  about  Jalapa  is  particularly 
interesting  on  account  of  its  luxuriant  vege- 
tation. Wild  fruits  are  so  plenty  that  they 
ripen  and  decay  undisturbed  by  the  hands 
of  the  natives.  There  are  fifty  or  sixty 
species  of  singing  birds,  and  seventy  kinds 
suitable  for  food. 

Toward  the  latter  part  of  their  stay, 
Hakkouki  and  Fra^ois,  while  walking  in 
the  woods,  suddenly  came  upon  a  figure 
apparently  holding  up  a  tree.  Beneath  a 
great  sombrero,  with  brim  little  less  than 


FORTUNE  FROWNS.  203 

a  yard  wide,  stood  a  woollen  shirt  and 
leather  breeches  girt  about  with  a  pistol- 
belt  full  of  cartridges  and  revolvers.  A 
rifle  hand  against  the  left  arm,  while  the 
right  hand  of  all  this  furniture  was  strok- 
ing a  beard  belonging  to  a  countenance 
not  altogether  unfamiliar.  It  was  Mulli- 
gan. But  how  changed!  His  hair,  which 
he  had  been  wont  to  anoint  with  oil  and 
part  in  the  middle,  was  awry,  and  had 
reminiscences  of  the  blanket  he  last  slept 
in.  His  face  was  a  flaring  red,  his  hands 
blistered,  and  his  once  bulky  form  had 
shrunk  almost  to  a  shadow. 

"Mulligan!"  cried  Francois,  excitedly  rush- 
ing forward  to  grasp  his  hand.  "  Oh  !  How 
thin  you  are !  " 

"Just  look  at  Vaughn,"  said  Mulligan, 
pointing  down  the  hill  to  his  companion, 
who  was  almost  hidden  behind  the  theod- 
olite. "But  you  ought  to  see  Shaw,"  he 
continued.  "He  is  thinner  than  Vaughn 
and  I  put  together." 


204  THE    GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

"Have  you  been  ill?"  queried  Frangois, 
eagerly. 

"  Indeed,  I  came  near  dying  last  night.  I 
lay  speechless  all  the  night,  crying,  '  Water ! 
water ! '  and  my  head  ached  that  bad  I 
couldn't  lift  it  from  the  pillow  until  I  got 
up  and  walked  about  a  bit." 

"  And  where  do  you  live  now  ? "  asked 
Frangois. 

"  There,"  answered  Mulligan,  pointing  to 
a  very  small  hut.  "  We  built  it,  and  I  think 
it  will  stand  as  long  as  the  world  does,  and 
longer."  Not  a  smile  had  yet  crossed  his 
countenance.  "  I'd  ask  you  to  come  in  and 
sit  awhile,  but  the  place  isn't  large  enough 
for  Mr.  Hakkouki  and  me  to  get  into." 

"  No,"  acquiesced  Frangois,  measuring  the 
two  with  his  eye.  "Yet  you  and  Vaughn 
and  Shaw  all  sleep  there." 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it.  None  of  us  sleep.  We 
stay  there  nights,  and  eat  outdoors." 

"Why  do  you  go  so  heavily  armed?"  in- 
quired Hakkouki. 


FORTUNE  FROWNS.  205 

"  On  account  of  these  thundering  thieves 
of  Mexicans.  They'd  steal  the  very  hands 
off  your  body,  if  you  should  lay  them  down 
by  mistake." 

"  What  kind  of  a  pistol  is  that  ? "  asked 
Hakkouki,  pointing  to  the  huge  weapon  in 
Mulligan's  belt. 

"It's  what  they  call  a  horse-pistol,"  he 
answered. 

"Why  do  they  call  it  that?"  asked 
Francois. 

"  For  the  reason  that  it  kicks,  I  suppose," 
replied  Mulligan.  "  In  this  country  'twould 
better  be  a  mule-pistol.  Shaw ! "  he  yelled 
suddenly,  "will  you  come  here  and  hold  the 
guns  and  ammunition?"  Then  turning  to 
Hakkouki  and  FranQois,  he  said,  "And  I'll 
sit  down  and  talk  with  you  awhile." 

Shaw  left  his  work  some  distance  away, 
and  came  toward  them.  As  Mulligan  spread 
his  tired  limbs  upon  the  ground,  he  groaned, 
"  What's  the  use  of  a  man's  working  himself 
to  death  to  get  a  living?  It's  a  hard  time 


206  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

we've  had,  to  say  nothing  of  the  valuable 
goods  we've  lost.  The  thieves  have  followed 
us,  constantly.  Up  to  this  Vaughn  has  held 
on  to  the  theodolite,  but  now  he's  so  weak 
it's  holding  on  to  him.  Oh,  it's  an  awful 
country ! " 

Then,  as  Vaughn  trudged  up  the  hill  with 
his  precious  theodolite,  to  join  them,  Mulli- 
gan began  to  sing,  "  Green  grow  the  rushes, 
oh  !  "  the  song  from  which  the  word  "  Gringo  " 
was  taken  when  the  American  troops  went 
into  Mexico. 

Vaughn  was  certainly  "blue."  He  imme- 
diately began  to  growl  about  the  country  and 
the  rain  and  the  food. 

"  Oh,  the  rain  !  Did  you  ever  see  anything 
like  it?"  asked  Mulligan. 

They  were  all  comfortably  seated  on  the 
ground  but  Shaw,  who  kept  guard. 

"  The  rain  certainly  falls  here  constantly," 
said  Hakkouki,  "  and  yet  the  country  is  dry." 

"  Right  you  are,"  said  Mulligan.  "  I  crossed 
the  bed  of  a  stream  the  other  day  without  a 


FORTUNE  FROWNS.  207 

drop  of  water  in  it.  'Twas  all  sand ;  and  I 
put  up  a  sign :  '  Take  notice  ! '  says  I ;  '  when 
this  board  is  under  water,  this  stream  is 
impassable.' " 

At  which  they  all  laughed  for  the  first 
time  since  their  reunion. 

"And  I've  heard,"  continued  Mulligan, 
encouraged,  "that  the  streams  are  so  dry 
that  the  fish  have  to  wear  dusters  to  keep 
their  clothing  from  being  spoiled." 

"  Now  you're  yourself  again,"  said  Hak- 
kouki. 

"It's  only  a  little  decent  food  I'm  need- 
ing to  be  myself,"  said  he.  "  If  the  other 
fellows  would  come  up  to  relieve  us  in  time, 
we'd  go  down  to  Vera  Cruz  with  you  and 
get  a  bite.  Have  you  met  any  of  the  others 
in  your  wanderings  around  these  woods  ?" 

"  No,"  said  Hakkouki ;  "  nothing  but 
Mexicans  and  Indians." 

"Say,"  continued  Mulligan.  "There  was 
a  funny  thing  happened  yesterday.  I  went 
out  with  my  shot-gun  to  get  a  change  of 


208  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

food  in  the  way  of  a  bird  or  something, 
and  I  came  upon  Jacobs  on  the  bridge. 
'  Jacobs,'  says  I,  i  how  are  you  ? '  '  Pretty 
well,  thank  you,  Dorherty,'  says  he.  '  Dor- 
herty?'  says  I;  'that's  not  my  name.'  So 
with  that,  we  looked  at  each  other  again, 
and  sure  enough !  It  was  neither  of  us  ! " 

"We  are  going  back  to  Vera  Cruz  day 
after  to-morrow,"  said  Hakkouki.  "  Can't 
you  go  with  us  ? " 

"  Indeed,  I  think  the  other  fellows  will  be 
along  by  that  time,  and  then  we'll  go,  sure ; 
for  it's  starving  we  are.  But  we  must  go 
to  another  hotel.  You  see,  I  had  a  letter 
from  the  proprietor  of  that  last." 

"Did  you?"  asked  Hakkouki,  interested; 
while  Vaughn  laughed  immoderately. 

"  Ay,  he  asked  me  to  send  him  the  amount 
of  his  bill,"  said  Mulligan,  seriously. 

"And,"  said  Vaughn,  choking  with  laugh- 
ter, "  Mulligan  wrote  back,  '  The  amount  is 
$25.93.  Yours  respectfully,  J.  W.  Mulli- 
gan.' " 


FORTUNE  FROWNS.  209 

With  the  laughter  that  followed,  Hak- 
kouki  and  Francois  rose  to  go,  for  night 
was  closing  in,  and  the  air  getting  chilly. 

"  Ah  !  "  sighed  Mulligan.  "  What  a  bless- 
ing it  is  that  night  never  comes  till  late 
in  the  day,  when  a  man's  tired,  and  can't 
work  any  more !  But  we'll  go  to  Vera 
Cruz  with  you.  What  time  does  the  train 
start  ? " 

"We  are  going  down  by  the  tramway. 
They  leave  at  twelve  o'clock." 

When  the  mule  train  left  Jalapa,  two 
days  later,  there  were  Hakkouki,  Mulligan, 
Vaughn,  FranQois,  and  one  very  elegant 
Mexican  gentleman,  crowded  into  the  one 
small  first-class  carriage.  The  route  lay 
over  the  old  national  road,  by  way  of  Cerro 
Gordo.  This  hamlet,  the  place  where  Gen- 
eral Scott  outflanked  and  defeated  Santa 
Anna  April  18,  1847,  now  consists  of  a  few 
mud  cabins  in  a  tumble-down  condition. 
The  Mexican  gentleman  seated  beside  Mulli- 
gan also  pointed  out  the  birthplace  of  Gen- 


210  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

eral  Santa  Anna,  the  most  notorious  of 
Mexico's  soldiers  of  fortune. 

"We  used  to  be  overrun  with  brigands 
here,"  said  the  Mexican  gentleman,  "  and 
travelling  over  this  road  was  accompanied 
by  fear  as  well  as  danger.  General  Bazaine, 
however,  put  a  stop  to  that.  Hearing  of 
the  dangers,  he  took  ten  of  his  most  expert 
sharpshooters,  and,  dressing  some  of  them 
as  women,  they  boarded  the  coach.  The 
driver  was  sworn  to  secrecy,  under  threat 
of  being  shot  if  he  disobeyed  orders.  On 
the  route  the  brigands  stopped  them,  or- 
dered them  to  throw  up  their  hands,  and 
assisted  the  first  passenger,  who  was  a  lady, 
to  alight.  In  an  instant,  however,  the  lady's 
cape  was  thrown  up,  and,  shooting  with  a 
revolver  in  each  hand,  she  finished  two  of 
the  brigands  at  once.  The  next  morning 
fourteen  gentlemen  of  the  road  were  found 
killed.  Only  one  of  the  band  escaped." 

Having  finished  his  exciting  tale,  he  felt 
for  his  handkerchief  to  mop  his  fevered 


FORTUNE   FROWNS.  211 

brow.  Failing  to  find  it,  he  turned  suddenly 
to  Mulligan. 

"I'll  thank  you  to  return  my  handker- 
chief," said  he. 

Mulligan  turned  purple.  He  was  about 
to  speak,  when  the  Mexican  discovered  his 
property  on  the  floor.  He  excused  himself 
profusely,  saying  it  was  a  mistake. 

"  Sure,  Senor,  it  is  a  mutual  mistake," 
said  Mulligan.  "  You  took  me  for  a  thief, 
and  I  took  you  for  a  gentleman." 

After  that  the  Mexican  was  left  out  of 
the  conversation. 

"  It  would  be  a  great  convenience,"  said 
Mulligan,  who  could  not  live  without  talking, 
"if  the  mile-stones  were  placed  just  a  little 
nearer  each  other." 

They  were  soon  in  sight  of  the  great  con- 
vent of  San  Francisco,  supposed  to  have  been 
built  by  Cortez,  and  a  most  picturesque 
ruin. 

"  The  Spaniards  were  certainly  artistic," 
said  Hakkouki. 


212  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

Arriving  in  Vera  Cruz,  they  went  to  a  new 
hotel,  hoping  that  the  proprietor  was  not  first 
cousin  of  the  last  one.  There  they  did  their 
best  to  make  up  for  the  food  which  they  had 
not  eaten  during  the  previous  two  weeks. 

Hakkouki,  who  had  determined  to  proceed 
to  the  Philippines  next,  in  order  to  study  the 
floral  growth  of  those  islands,  went  out  alone 
to  investigate  the  best  method  for  getting 
there. 

Among  the  ships  in  the  harbor,  he  found 
one  upon  which  he  could  get  passage  around 
the  Horn.  Though  this  would  doubtless  take 
longer  than  crossing  Mexico,  and  shipping 
from  the  port  of  San  Bias,  it  seemed  to  Hak- 
kouki more  desirable,  as  he  wished  to  see 
something  of  sea  life. 

On  his  way  back  to  the  hotel  he  called  at 
the  bank  for  his  valuable  suit.  As  many  of 
the  sights  of  the  town  interested  him,  he 
walked  along  leisurely,  and  took  little  notice 
of  the  direction  in  which  he  was  going.  Pres- 
ently, he  found  himself  in  a  narrow  alley, 


FORTUNE   FROWNS.  213 

quite  strange  to  him,  and  lie  realized  that  he 
had  lost  his  way.  He  was  about  to  retrace 
his  steps  when  the  precious  bundle  he  carried 
was  suddenly  snatched  from  him,  and  he  him- 
self thrown  violently  to  the  ground.  Before 
he  could  recover,  a  terrific  blow  upon  the 
head  left  him  senseless. 

When  Hakkouki  came  to,  he  was  lying  in 
a  white  cot  in  the  hospital,  with  his  head 
bandaged. 

"  How  long  have  I  been  here  ?  "  he  inquired 
of  the  nurse. 

"  This  is  the  tenth  day,"  she  replied.  "  You 
have  been  delirious  ever  since  you  came  in, 
and  we  almost  despaired  of  your  life." 

"  Has  any  one  been  to  see  me  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  No  one,"  answered  the  nurse. 

Hakkouki  groaned.  He  wondered  what 
had  become  of  Francois  and  his  other  friends. 
That  afternoon  he  sent  a  message  to  the  hotel, 
asking  Francois  to  come  and  see  him,  but  the 
messenger  returned  alone.  The  French  boy, 
he  said,  had  searched  the  city  for  a  week  for 


214  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

his  companion,  and  then,  supposing  he  had 
been  deserted,  shipped  as  a  steward  upon  a 
vessel  bound  for  the  United  States. 

Thus   Hakkouki   found   himself   friendless 
and  penniless  in  a  strange  country. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

FORTUNE    SMILES. 

TJAKKOUKI  emerged  from  the  hospital 
thin,  but  hopeful.  In  spite  of  his  condi- 
tion and  his  loss  of  money,  he  never  once 
thought  of  giving  up  his  search  for  knowledge, 
but  determined  to  follow  his  ambitious  under- 
taking to  the  end,  and  to  win. 

Through  the  influence  of  an  American 
merchant,  whose  acquaintance  Hakkouki  had 
chanced  to  make,  he  obtained  a  position  as 
ordinary  seaman  aboard  a  New  Bedford 
whaler  named  the  Florence,  and  bound  for 
the  Pacific.  Notwithstanding  the  hardships 
which  he  knew  he  should  be  obliged  to  un- 
dergo in  such  a  capacity,  he  felt  very  happy 
at  the  prospect.  Not  only  was  he  moving 
in  the  right  direction,  but  he  hoped  that 
upon  such  a  voyage  he  might  learn  some- 

215 


216  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

thing  about  that  most  precious  of  all  per- 
fume bases,  —  ambergris. 

The  new  sailor  was  very  seasick  and  mis- 
erable for  the  first  ten  days  out.  After  that, 
however,  he  began  to  enjoy  the  healthy, 
invigorating  life.  As  he  was  a  willing  and 
a  powerful  man  on  a  rope,  quick  to  learn, 
and  good-natured,  he  soon  became  a  favorite 
with  both  officers  and  crew.  By  the  time 
the  ship  had  "  rounded  the  Horn,"  he  was 
looked  upon  as  one  of  the  most  valuable 
men  aboard. 

The  Florence  cruised  about  the  South  Pa- 
cific for  some  time  without  much  success, 
when  one  morning,  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Galapagos  Islands,  there  came  from  aloft  the 
welcome  cry  :  — 

"  There  she  blo-o-o-ows  !  " 

Instantly  all  hands  turned  out,  and  the 
officers  gave  orders  in  quick  succession.  The 
boats  were  provisioned,  and  swung  out  in 
the  davits,  and  everything  put  in  order  for 
the  next  command. 


FORTUNE  SMILES.  217 

The  second  mate,  who,  in  the  meantime, 
had  gone  aloft  with  his  glass,  now  hailed 
the  excited  captain  on  deck. 

"  They  are  sperm  whales,  sir !  Four  of 
them  !  Heading  to  the  north'ard  !  " 

"  Back  the  main  yard  !  "  immediately  cried 
the  skipper. 

As  soon  as  the  vessel  was  hove  to,  the 
two  boats  were  lowered ;  the  captain  taking 
charge  of  one,  and  the  mate  steering  the 
other.  In  the  latter  Hakkouki  found  him- 
self. 

Both  boats  pulled  rapidly  toward  the 
whales,  and  the  hearts  of  all  beat  high  at 
the  thought  of  making  a  haul  at  last.  The 
captain,  being  in  advance,  got  fast  first. 

"  It's  only  a  small  cow,"  said  the  mate, 
contemptuously.  "  He's  welcome  to  her. 
I'm  going  for  the  big  bull  to  wind'ard." 

So  to  the  windward  they  pulled,  and  it 
was  not  long  before  Hakkouki,  looking  over 
the  gunwale  of  the  boat,  saw  that  they  were 
passing  the  whale's  immense  flukes. 


218  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

The  next  moment  the  mate  cried  to 
the  harpooner,  "  Now,  Johnny !  Send  it 
home !  " 

Just  as  the  Portuguese  was  about  to  strike, 
however,  he  lost  his  balance  and  fell  over- 
board. Instantly  the  whale  elevated  his  tail 
and  "  sounded,"  while  the  mate  gave  vent  to 
a  volley  of  abuse,  such  as  Hakkouki  had 
never  heard  before.  The  unfortunate  Por- 
tuguese was  hauled  aboard,  however,  and  the 
chase  of  the  big  bull  continued. 

"Easy  all,"  whispered  the  mate,  as  they 
came  near  the  leviathan  again. 

Johnny,  the  Portuguese,  stood  in  the  bow 
this  time  with  a  look  of  revenge  upon  his 
dark  face.  As  he  braced  himself  against 
the  "  cleat,"  it  was  apparent  that  he  intended 
to  get  even  with  that  whale. 

"Steady,  now,  Johnny,  boy,"  again  whis- 
pered the  mate. 

Suddenly,  when  the  boat  was  within  ten 
feet  of  the  whale,  Johnny  drew  back  his  arm 
and  darted.  As  the  keen  harpoon  buried 


STEADY,  HOW,  JOHNNY,  BOY! 


FORTUNE   SMILES.  219 

itself  in  the  blubber,  the  flukes  of  the  monster 
went  up,  and  with  a  mighty  splash  he  dived 
below. 

"  Stern  all !  "  yelled  the  mate,  and  the  men 
obeyed  just  in  time  to  prevent  the  boat  being 
swamped. 

The  line  at  once  began  to  run  out  so  fast 
that  the  wood  fairly  smoked  with  the  friction, 
and  they  were  obliged  to  wet  it. 

"My  land!"  said  the  mate,  as  he  looked 
anxiously  at  the  tubs.  "  How  far  down  is  he 
going?" 

A  moment  later,  however,  the  line  slack- 
ened, and  the  men  were  ordered  to  face  for- 
ward and  "  haul  line."  As  this  meant  that 
the  whale  was  coming  up,  the  mate  then  took 
the  place  of  the  harpooner,  and  stood  ready 
to  use  the  lance.  After  a  long,  hard  pull,  the 
boat  was  brought  cautiously  up  to  the  fleeing 
whale. 

"  Pull,  boys ! "  cried  the  officer,  as  soon  as 
the  flukes  were  passed  in  safely.  "  Wood  and 
black  skin ! " 


220  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

The  next  moment  he  plunged  the  sharp 
lance  deep  into  the  monster's  vitals,  and 
churned  it  up  and  down  until  blood  was 
spouted. 

Now  that  the  whale  had  hoisted  what  is 
known  as  the  "red  flag,"  the  boat  retreated; 
for  in  his  death  "flurry"  the  whale  is  most 
dangerous  of  all.  For  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
he  thrashed  helplessly  about;  then,  with  a 
sound  almost  like  a  human  groan,  he  turned 
on  his  side,  dead. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  the  Florence's 
luck.  From  that  time  whales  were  captured 
with  a  regularity  that  became  almost  monoto- 
nous. As  the  crew  were  "on  shares,"  how- 
ever, they  worked  willingly  enough. 

Two  months  later  the  ship's  hold  was  full 
of  oil,  and  as  all  hands  were  "  spoiling  "  for 
some  of  their  pay-day  and  a  run  ashore,  the 
captain  headed  for  Batavia,  where  he  knew 
he  could  tranship  his  valuable  cargo. 

But  the  luck  of  the  Florence  was  not  over 
yet.  Before  reaching  Java  she  picked  up  a 


FORTUNE   SMILES.  221 

huge  lump  of  ambergris  floating  on  the 
sea,  which,  together  with  her  load  of  oil, 
gave  every  man  aboard  of  her  a  small  for- 
tune. 

Hakkouki  examined  the  valuable  mass  with 
much  curiosity.  When  first  brought  aboard, 
it  was  black  and  almost  as  soft  as  putty,  but 
after  it  had  dried,  it  became  a  light  gray 
color  and  fairly  hard.  Intermixed  with  the 
mass  were  many  small  cuttlefish  beaks,  which 
scientists  consider  proves  that  ambergris  is  a 
morbid  secretion  of  the  sperm  whale.  As  it 
dried  it  gave  out  a  sweet  earthy  odor.  The 
value  of  ambergris,  however,  does  not  lie  in 
its  perfume,  but  in  its  power  to  fix  or  hold 
other  odors  in  combination. 

The  weight  of  the  piece  of  ambergris  found 
by  the  Lucky  Florence,  as  she  was  afterward 
called,  was  one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds. 
When  sold  in  Batavia,  it  fetched  the  sum  of 
fifty-seven  thousand  six  hundred  dollars, 
which  was  divided  pro  rata  among  the  ship's 
company. 


222  THE    GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

As  soon  as  the  vessel  arrived  at  Batavia, 
Hakkouki  asked  to  be  paid  off ;  and  with  the 
goodly  sum  he  received  in  his  pocket,  he  once 
more  continued  his  search  for  the  knowledge 
of  perfumes. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE   GARDEN    OF   THE   EAST. 

TXT" HEN  Hakkouki,  liberated  from  his 
*  *  long  voyage  at  sea,  found  himself  fly- 
ing up  the  Molenvliet  (the  chief  thorough- 
fare in  Batavia)  in  a  comfortable,  even 
luxurious,  carriage,  he  experienced  most 
lively  emotions  of  surprise  and  pleasure. 
The  swift  ponies,  driven  by  a  brown  coach- 
man in  a  long  red  calico  jacket,  seemed  to 
Hakkouki  possessed  of  wings. 

It  was  a  long  drive  to  the  hotel,  which 
was  a  most  imposing  building.  He  was 
allotted  a  fair-sized  room,  opening  on  to  a 
court,  with  other  rooms  opening  to  the 
right,  left,  and  in  fact  all  around  him. 

In  front  of  the  doors  of  these  rooms  sat 
people  in  every  stage  of  dishabille.  There 


224  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

seemed  to  be  no  privacy,  and  fortunately, 
the  situation  being  as  it  was,  no  shyness. 

As  Hakkouki's  clothes  were  by  this  time 
very  much  worn  and  out  of  place,  his  first 
care  was  to  purchase  a  native  suit.  This 
consists  of  a  sarong,  which  is  a  short,  close- 
fitting  petticoat,  and  a  white  linen  jacket, 
called  a  kabaya.  The  Dutch  colonists  have 
adopted  this  native  costume,  as  being  most 
suitable  to  the  climate,  and  seldom  wear 
any  other,  except  on  important  occasions. 

By  the  time  Hakkouki  had  rigged  him- 
self in  his  new  clothes,  the  midday  meal 
was  ready,  and  he  had  an  opportunity  to  sit 
at  the  much-talked-of  rice  table.  Spread- 
ing a  foundation  of  rice  on  the  plate,  one 
choses  from  the  numerous  viands  presented 
by  the  servant,  and  places  this,  whether 
meat,  fish,  eggs,  or  delicacy,  upon  the  rice, 
partaking  of  both  together.  Bread  was  not 
offered. 

While  at  table  Hakkouki  made  the 
acquaintance  of  a  French  gentleman,  M. 


THE  GARDEN  OF  THE  EAST.     225 

Belivier,  who  volunteered  much  information 
about  the  country,  and  later  gave  Hakkouki 
a  letter  introducing  him  to  the  manager  of 
his  estate  at  Sinagar.  He  told  Hakkouki 
that  it  was  necessary  for  him  first  to  get 
a  government  permit  to  remain  upon  the 
island ;  and  advised  him  to  hire  a  native 
servant.  Through  the  kind  offices  of  his 
new  friend,  Hakkouki  secured  an  intelli- 
gent Javanese  "boy"  by  the  name  of 
Ah-Gap,  who,  having  previously  been  the 
servant  of  a  French  geologist,  could  speak 
French. 

A  few  days  later  Hakkouki  and  Ah-Gap 
set  out  for  Sinagar,  which  is  some  distance 
inland.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  the 
beautiful  scenery  of  Java  in  any  way  to  do 
it  justice.  The  climate  is  so  mild  and 
moist  that  the  foliage  and  vegetation  is 
luxuriant  beyond  compare.  The  variety  of 
trees  which  are  indigenous  and  not  to  be 
found  elsewhere  is  greater  than  in  any  other 
part  of  the  world. 


226  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

Hakkouki  was  going  to  Sinagar  chiefly 
to  see  the  trees  from  which  the  perfumes 
ylang-ylang  and  frangipanni  are  produced. 
In  this  locality  both  trees  flourish  in  great 
abundance ;  although  they  grow  in  many 
other  parts  of  the  island,  as  well  as  the 
Philippines,  and  are  cultivated  in  India  and 
the  tropics  generally. 

The  trees  grow  wild,  and  the  blossoms  are 
gathered  as  they  fall  from  the  tree;  but  upon 
the  large  coffee  and  sugar  estates  the  trees 
are  under  the  control  of  the  wodena,  a  native 
who  is  the  local  head  of  the  estate. 

Hakkouki  stayed  at  the  house  of  the 
woflena  and  was  taken  out  by  him  and  a 
good  half-dozen  followers  in  uniform,  to  view 
the  estate.  The  natives  on  the  place  bowed 
low  before  him,  and  if  they  did  not  promptly 
go  to  earth,  were  reminded  by  occasional  shouts 
from  the  followers,  or  their  movements  were 
hurried  by  prods  from  the  poles  of  office. 
Ah-Gap,  having  once  been  told  by  his  master 
to  stand  up,  stretched  himself  to  his  full 


THE  GARDEN  OF  THE  EAST.     227 

height,  and  followed  with  a  dignity  almost 
worthy  of  Hakkouki  himself.  The  wodena 
did  not  like  this  manner;  nor  did  he  enjoy 
the  childish  glee  with  which  Ah-Gap  ran 
beneath  the  first  cananga  tree  he  saw,  hold- 
ing his  great  bamboo  hat,  and  filling  it  with 
the  huge  brilliant  yellow  flowers  from  which 
oil  of  ylang-ylang  is  obtained. 

The  oil  of  ylang-ylang  and  frangipanni 
is  prepared  in  much  the  same  way  as  that  of 
the  rose,  but  the  flowers  of  both  these  trees 
are  sold  in  the  markets  all  over  Java,  for  per- 
fume. 

The  petals  of  the  cananga  dry  easily,  even 
in  the  moist  climate  of  Java,  and  when  sewed 
up  into  small  bags,  they  retain  their  spicy 
fragrance  for  years.  The  frangipanni  flowers 
are  very  different  from  the  great  yellow 
flowers  of  the  cananga.  They  remind  one  in 
shape  and  cluster  of  the  mayflower  (trailing 
arbutus)  of  New  England.  In  color  they  are 
an  exquisite  white  and  gold,  and  are  some- 
times called  "bo-flowers." 


228  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

"  Why  do  not  the  people  wear  these  lovely 
blossoms  in  their  hair  as  they  do  the  large 
cananga?"  asked  Hakkouki  of  the  wodena. 

"Frangipanni  is  the  flower  of  the  dead," 
answered  he,  solemnly. 

And  not  only  is  this  sweet  flower  associated 
with  funeral  rites  and  graves,  but  it  is  the 
religious  flower,  and  is  a  symbol  of  faith.  It 
is  sticky  and  unpleasant  to  the  touch  when 
pulled  from  the  tree,  and  the  stem  exudes  a 
thick  milk ;  but  after  the  flowers  have  fallen 
to  the  ground,  they  may  be  handled  more 
easily,  and  the  small  flowers  retain  their  spot- 
less waxen  perfection  and  thick,  fleshy  petals 
even  for  two  days.  We  call  them  frangipanni ; 
but  although  this  name  is  known  to  the 
natives,  they  will  not  use  it.  They  consider 
that  an  Italian  marquis  had  no  right  to  give  it 
his  name  in  preference  to  their  beautiful  name, 
which  signifies  "  flowers  of  the  golden  heart." 

Hakkouki  gathered  some  of  these  flowers 
to  dry,  as  he  had  the  others,  and  put  them 
into  small  bags.  As  they  returned,  the 


THE  GARDEN  OF  THE  EAST.     229 

wodena  explained  to  Hakkouki  the  system 
of  forced  labor  which  the  Dutch  exercise 
over  the  natives,  and  later  on  gave  him  a 
very  delightful  surprise. 

After  supper  he  was  led  forth  to  a  has- 
tily improvised  apartment  to  witness  the 
"  Bedaya,"  or  dancing  girls.  This,  Ah-Gap 
said,  was  a  mark  of  great  respect,  as  these 
girls  are  summoned  to  dance  only  in  the 
presence  of  royalty  or  persons  of  high  rank. 
They  were  dressed  in  the  brightest  of  col- 
ors, adorned  with  many  jewels,  and  had 
their  arms  and  legs  dusted  with  brilliant 
yellow  powder.  They  were  fourteen  or  fif- 
teen years  of  age,  and  danced  with  the  ut- 
most grace  and  decorum  of  behavior  to  slow 
and  solemn  music. 

The  following  day,  as  Hakkouki  was  leav- 
ing, he  presented  the  wodena  with  a  purse 
in  recognition  of  his  courtesy.  To  his  sur- 
prise, the  wodena  deliberately  opened  it 
and  counted  the  coins. 

"It  is  not  enough,"  said  he,  coolly. 


230  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

"  I  am  sorry,"  said  Hakkouki.  "  If  it 
is  not  sufficient,  you  may  return  it  to  me, 
and  I  will  send  you  a  larger  amount  when 
I  get  back  to  Batavia." 

But  the  wily  native,  fearing  he  might 
receive  nothing,  suddenly  changed  his  mind. 

"  It  is  quite  enough,"  he  said ;  "  it  is  more 
than  I  thought.  I  did  not  count  it  rightly." 
Whereupon  he  bowed  with  profound  respect. 
His  last  look  at  Ah-Gap,  however,  whose 
expansive  stories  of  Hakkouki's  wealth  had 
led  him  to  expect  more,  was  one  of  hatred. 

Hakkouki,  who  had  intended  to  visit  the 
Malay  Peninsula  to  study  the  growth  of 
patchouli,  learned  from  the  wodena  that  it 
was  to  be  found  growing  under  cultivation 
not  far  from  Sinagar,  and  that  Java,  in  fact, 
was  the  principal  land  of  its  production. 
The  wodena  had  also  offered  his  services 
as  guide,  but  this  attention  Hakkouki  po- 
litely declined.  Hearing  that  he  could  go 
from  Sinagar  down  one  of  the  small  rivers 
in  a  canoe  to  a  patchouli  plantation,  he 


THE  GARDEN  OF  THE  EAST.     231 

was  delighted  at  the  opportunity  for  so 
agreeable  a  mode  of  travel.  The  canoe 
was  of  the  peculiar  model  of  the  natives, 
rising  high  at  each  end,  and  settling  deep 
into  the  water  in  the  centre.  If  the  sun 
be  powerful,  the  passenger  may  lie  in  com- 
fort, unable  to  see  anything  but  the  awning 
of  light  bamboo  above ;  but  as  Hakkouki 
chose  to  travel  after  sundown,  he  had  the 
awning  removed  and  lay  in  blissful  serenity, 
gazing  into  the  starry  heavens  and  think- 
ing of  his  beloved  Princess.  When  they 
arrived  at  the  small  landing  which  was  to 
be  their  destination,  Hakkouki  preferred  to 
finish  the  night  in  his  pleasant  quarters, 
while  Ah-Gap  and  the  two  native  canoe- 
men  stretched  themselves  upon  the  ground 
near  by. 

The  next  morning  they  visited  the  Dutch 
wodena  of  the  estate,  and  were  shown  a 
small  bed  of  patchouli  growing.  Only 
about  one-twentieth  part  of  an  acre  was 
under  cultivation,  the  plants  being  placed 


232  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

about  three  feet  apart.  They  must  be  re- 
produced by  cutting  entirely,  as  plants  from 
seeds  are  said  to  have  no  odor.  Mr.  Cantly, 
an  Englishman,  familiar  with  the  growth  of 
patchouli,  said :  — 

"  I  have  never  been  able  to  verify  this 
statement,  but  it  is  well  known  that  plants 
do  sometimes  play  tricks  of  this  kind." 

As  the  natives  claim  that  it  never  blos- 
soms and  one  man  who  had  grown  and 
bought  it  for  thirty  years  had  never  seen  a 
flower  or  fruit,  it  would  seem  that  Nature 
herself  reproduced  the  plant  from  stems  of 
fallen  leaves  or  from  the  roots.  It  is  not  in- 
digenous in  either  Java  or  India,  but  seems 
to  have  been  a  native  of  China.  No  skill 
is  required  in  cultivation,  nor  machinery  in 
preparation. 

"  The  crop  from  this  piece  of  land  is 
about  one  ton  a  year,"  said  the  wodena. 
"  We  mow  it,  stalk  and  all,  and  get  about 
twice  as  much  good  leaf  as  refuse." 

"The    odor    of     patchouli    first    became 


THE  GARDEN  OF  THE  EAST.     233 

known  in  the  West,"  said  Hakkouki,  "as  a 
characteristic  scent  of  Indian  shawls,  while 
here  it  has  been  used  for  ages  in  the  pow- 
dered form  for  perfuming  clothing." 

"  Look !  "  said  Ah-Gap,  u  how  the  women 
decorate  themselves." 

Those  working  in  the  fields  had  garlands 
about  their  waists  and  bunches  of  the  leaf 
stuck  in  their  bamboo  ear-rings. 

The  wodena  explained  that  though  they 
cultivated  such  a  small  piece  of  land,  the 
profit  realized  was  greater  in  proportion 
than  that  of  any  other  product  of  the 
estate. 

"  The  scent,"  he  said,  "  is  more  powerful 
than  that  from  any  other  flower,  and  we 
not  only  sell  it  as  dried  leaf  to  advantage, 
but  also  distil  it." 

The  oil  was  of  a  dark  brown  color,  ex- 
tremely persistent  in  odor,  and  of  great 
strength. 

"  In  Holland,"  he  continued,  "  they  some- 
times ascribe  loss  of  appetite  and  nervous 


234  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

attacks  to  the  excessive  use  of  patchouli, 
but  as  one  of  its  greatest  uses  here  and  in 
India  is  to  mix  it  with  the  stuffing  of  beds 
and  pillows  to  keep  out  vermin,  this  can 
scarcely  be  the  case." 

"  It  was  probably  this  quality,"  said  Hak- 
kouki,  "  which  caused  it  to  be  used  to  pack 
Indian  shawls,  and  so  led  to  its  introduction 
to  the  West." 

The  wodena  was  profusive  in  his  invita- 
tions for  entertainment  and  desire  to  show 
Hakkouki  over  the  coffee  plantation;  but 
Hakkouki,  knowing  that  the  passage  back 
to  Sinagar  was  up-stream,  and  that  it  would 
therefore  take  longer  to  paddle,  decided  to 
start  immediately  after  tiffin. 

As  they  paddled  up-stream  to  Sinagar 
again,  Hakkouki,  lulled  by  the  swish  of  the 
paddles,  and  the  even,  peculiar  chant  of  the 
boatmen,  felt  his  soul  rise  in  joy  and 
thanksgiving  that  his  journeys  were  so 
nearly  at  an  end. 

"  There  is  yet  the  sandalwood  and  kuskus 


THE  GARDEN  OF  THE  EAST.     235 

grass,  which  I  shall  see  in  the  Mysore  country," 
he  said  to  himself.  "From  Batavia  I  must 
go  directly  to  Madras.  Then  there  will  be 
but  one  important  scent  remaining;  that  is, 
musk." 

Hakkouki  had  for  a  long  time  planned  to 
take  musk,  which  was  the  most  dangerous,  as 
his  last  journey;  for  should  he  survive  this 
adventure,  he  should  be  within  what  seemed 
to  him  now  a  short  distance  of  Kaffiristan. 

Upon  returning  to  Batavia,  Hakkouki  vis- 
ited the  courteous  M.  Belivier  to  thank  him 
for  his  kindly  entertainment  upon  his  estate, 
and  also  to  say  good-by ;  for  it  was  his  inten- 
tion to  cross  to  Madras  on  his  way  to  the 
Mysore  country. 

"Well,"  said  M.  Belivier,  "then  I  shall 
have  the  pleasure  of  presenting  you  to  my  old 
friend,  General  Magadari,  who  can  give  you 
all  the  help  you  will  need  in  your  travels 
through  India." 

This  was  indeed  a  great  kindness  to  Hak- 
kouki, for  time  was  precious  to  him,  and  he 


236  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

realized  how  valuable  a  friend  who  is  a  resi- 
dent of  a  place  can  be,  in  preventing  delays. 

With  much  gratitude  he  bade  his  friend 
"  Slamat  Jalan  "  and  took  his  leave. 

"  Ah,  Tuan !  Thou  wilt  not  leave  me  be- 
hind," begged  Ah-Gap ;  and  Hakkouki,  ever 
ready  to  grant  the  wishes  of  those  about  him, 
answered,  "  No,  my  boy  ;  you  shall  go." 

They  boarded  the  steamer  Godavery  for 
Madras,  and  turned  their  backs  on  the  beau- 
tiful days  and  brilliant  skies  of  Java. 

After  a  voyage  of  three  days,  Hakkouki 
reached  Madras.  As  soon  as  he  got  ashore, 
he  seated  himself  in  a  gharry,  a  close  carriage 
on  four  wheels,  while  Ah-Gap  packed  himself 
and  their  small  amount  of  luggage  beside  the 
dirty-looking  driver.  He  seated  himself  on 
the  very  edge  of  the  seat,  for  fear  his  clean 
sarong  should  come  in  contact  with  the  driver's 
ill-smelling  clothing.  The  tiny  pony  conveyed, 
or  rather  set  forth  to  convey,  Hakkouki  to  the 
house  of  General  Magadari,  whom  M.  Belevier 
had  wished  him  to  visit.  It  is  not  difficult  to 


THE  GARDEN  OF  THE  EAST.     237 

find  one's  way  about  in  Madras,  as  the  roads 
are  excellent  and  the  people  obliging.  In 
spite  of  this,  however,  they  could  not  find 
General  Magadari.  No  one  had  ever  heard 
of  him.  Hakkouki  continued  to  inquire,  how- 
ever, and  at  last  met  a  gentleman  in  a  car- 
riage, who  said :  — 

"  General  Magadari  ?  Isn't  he  the  com- 
mander of  the  forces?" 

"  He  is,"  answered  the  driver. 

"  Then  it  is  the  second  house  on  the  right." 

Delighted  to  have  succeeded  at  last,  Hak- 
kouki descended  from  his  carriage  and  entered 
the  house.  Passing  the  sentry  and  a  throng 
of  salaaming  menials,  he  found  himself  in  the 
spacious  hall,  and  upon  presenting  his  letter 
of  introduction,  received  a  kindly  welcome 
from  his  host.  Followed  by  Ah-Gap,  he  was 
shown  an  apartment,  where  he  was  able  to 
remove  the  traces  of  his  journey.  He  was 
entertained  most  cordially,  and  the  next  day, 
equipped  with  a  letter  to  the  military  com- 
mander of  Mysore,  where  the  sandal  is  largely 


238  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

grown  and  exported,  Hakkouki  left  Madras, 
much  impressed  by  the  gayety  of  the  place 
and  the  affability  of  its  citizens. 

Upon  arriving  at  Mysore,  he  went  immedi- 
ately to  the  house  of  the  commander,  but 
upon  looking  for  the  letter  which  had  been 
given  him,  he  was  unable  to  find  it. 

"  I  had  a  letter  of  introduction  to  you," 
said  Hakkouki.  "  It  was  from  General 
Magadari." 

"  Never  heard  of  such  a  person,"  answered 
the  commander. 

"He  is  the  commander  of  the  forces  at 
Madras,"  said  Hakkouki. 

"  Magadari !  "  said  the  commander;  "  that's 
not  his  name.  You  are  an  impostor,  sir !  " 

Thus  Hakkouki  was  not  entertained  in 
Mysore,  nor  did  he  find  the  missing  letter, 
nor  did  he  ever  know  the  name  of  his  amia- 
ble host  in  Madras.  Of  one  thing  only  was 
he  certain, — that  the  gentleman  who  had 
entertained  him  so  kindly  was  not  General 
Magadari. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE    FRIENDSHIP    OF    CHAN   FOU. 

LJAKKOUKI  found   a   place   of   residence 

r 
just  outside  the  town  of   Mysore  in  a 

bamboo  hut,  raised  on  poles  five  or  six  feet 
from  the  ground.  The  floor  was  of  rattan 
woven  strongly  in  and  out  across  the  sticks 
of  bamboo.  Certainly  peace  and  contentment 
went  hand  and  hand  with  Mysorean  life.  As 
Hakkouki  sat  at  the  top  of  the  ladder  at  the 
entrance  of  his  temporary  home,  and  watched 
the  red  light  of  the  sun  fade  away  over  the 
jungle,  here  and  there  flecking  the  leaves 
upon  the  ground  with  a  spot  of  fire,  and 
heard  the  soft  rippling  sound  of  the  stream 
at  the  foot  of  the  ladder,  he  felt  himself 
cradled  in  the  lap  of  Mother  Nature. 

Ah-Gap  had  gone  to  the  village  for  food ; 


240  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

and  Hakkouki  sat  waiting  with  the  same 
quiet  patience  with  which  the  natives  of  this 
country  have  waited  for  generations  and  cen- 
turies. 

"  Here  I  come,  Tuan  ! "  cried  the  voice  of 
his  servant,  up  the  ladder. 

Though  Hakkouki  had  been  listening  for 
him,  no  sound  of  the  native's  footsteps  could 
be  heard  in  the  soft  jungle  grass. 

"  I  have  brought  all  the  food  in  Mysore," 
continued  Ah-Gap,  "and  now  you  will  see, 
my  master,  how  good  a  cook  I  am." 

And  Hakkouki  admitted  later  that  he  had 
never  eaten  more  delicious  dishes  than  those 
which  his  Java  "  boy  "  cooked  for  him. 

In  this  delightful  land  Hakkouki  was  able 
to  make  his  journeys  by  the  streams  which 
intersect  the  whole  country.  Shortly  after 
his  arrival,  he  hired  two  natives  with  their 
boat,  to  punt  him  to  the  nearest  sandalwood 
plantation.  These  are  all  in  the  control  of 
the  government.  No  one  is  allowed  to  fell  a 
tree  but  a  government  official.  One  planter, 


THE   FRIENDSHIP   OF   CHAN  FOU.       241 

who  found  two  trees  in  the  way  of  his  build- 
ing a  road  on  his  estate,  was  obliged  to  write 
to  the  government  to  have  the  proper  officials 
take  possession  of  them. 

Sandal  is  no  doubt  the  most  important  of 
all  odorous  woods.  The  best  wood  is  ob- 
tained from  trees  twenty  to  thirty  feet  high, 
which  Hakkouki  found  growing  in  Mysore 
within  a  few  miles  of  his  bamboo  home. 

Could  Hakkouki  have  found  his  letter  from 
his  amiable  French  friend  in  Madras,  or  have 
found  any  clew  regarding  General  Magadari 
(for  he  felt  sure  this  unknown  person  existed, 
else  why  had  he  been  offered  a  letter  to  him  ?) 
his  stay  in  Mysore  might  have  been  shorter ; 
but  British  officials  were  loath  to  give  much 
help  to  this  unassuming  gentleman  of  a 
southern  clime,  who  dressed  simply  in  a  sa- 
rong, and  was  accompanied  by  a  "  thieving  " 
Malayan  servant.  These  English  gentlemen 
considered  a  suit  of  pyjamas  ample  clothing. 

Nevertheless,  Hakkouki  learned  more  of  the 
sandal  tree  by  being  dependent  upon  himself 


242  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

than  if  he  had  been  attentively  shown  about. 
He  lived  in  the  woods  and  found  the  tree 
growing  wild.  He  was  somewhat  surprised 
to  find  it  an  evergreen,  which  flowered  and 
fruited  all  the  year  round. 

Ah-Gap,  with  his  friendly  nature,  soon 
made  native  acquaintances.  Among  them 
was  a  girl  named  Selema,  who  lived  in  a  hut 
near,  and  whose  parents  had  selected  as  a 
husband  for  her  a  Chinaman  who  had  a  high 
position  on  the  nearest  plantation.  Selema, 
having  thus  permission  to  roam  at  will  over 
the  plantation,  often  became  the  guide  of 
Hakkouki  and  his  follower. 

"  This  is  the  best  tree,"  said  she,  pointing 
to  a  graceful  sandal.  "  Chan  Fou  said  they 
would  cut  it  soon.  It  is  thirty  years  old." 
The  trunk  was  about  a  foot  in  diameter. 

To  make  the  best  wood,  the  trees  are 
pulled  up  by  the  roots  and  left  upon  the 
ground  for  several  months,  so  that  the  sap- 
wood  may  be  destroyed  by  the  white  ants. 
When  this  is  accomplished  they  are  cut  into 


THE   FRIENDSHIP   OF  CHAN  FOU.       243 

sticks  three  feet  long  and  three  to  eight 
inches  in  diameter.  Seleraa  told  them  that 
the  natives  used  the  powdered  wood  for  fevers 
and  other  sicknesses ;  and  that  they  made  a 
paste  of  it  to  mark  the  line  of  caste  upon 
their  foreheads.  The  seeds  of  the  tree  are 
planted  together  with  a  capsicum  seed;  for 
the  latter,  producing  a  quick-growing  seed- 
ling, shades  the  tender,  young  sandal.  The 
capsicum  plant  also  affords  sustenance  for  it. 
It  has  lately  been  found  that  sandal  has 
parasitic  roots  which  attach  themselves  by 
tuber-like  processes  to  those  of  many  other 
plants,  and  it  thrives  best  when  grass  is 
allowed  to  grow  in  the  seed-beds,  and  where 
the  seeds  are  planted  only  an  inch  below  the 
surface. 

As  Selema  was  to  be  married  in  about  a 
month,  she  was  left  at  home  all  day  to  make 
her  preparations,  while  the  rest  of  her  family 
went  to  the  plantation  to  work.  She  was 
but  fourteen,  and  seemed  to  Hakkouki  still  a 
child.  He  often  sat  and  watched  herAmaking 


244  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

pretty  baskets  and  other  small  articles  for 
her  new  home,  out  of  the  fragrant  kuskus 
grass,  which  grew  so  plentifully  all  about. 
She  made  screens  to  be  placed  in  the  windows 
and  doors  ;  for  Chan  Fou  was  building  a  very 
beautiful  nest  for  her.  The  screens  would  be 
wetted,  and  as  the  breeze  drew  through  them, 
would  diffuse  an  agreeable  odor  and  cool- 
ness. Hakkouki  went  with  her  to  gather  the 
kuskus  grass  (sometimes  called  vertiver)  and 
to  draw  out  of  the  ground  the  long,  fibrous 
roots. 

One  day  as  Hakkouki,  with  Ah-Gap  in  at- 
tendance, walked  with  Selema  in  the  jungle, 
he  saw  almost  upon  her  shoulder,  as  she 
stood  beneath  a  sandal  tree,  the  great  hand 
and  arm  of  an  orang-outang.  With  a  quick 
movement  Hakkouki  drew  the  girl  away,  and 
the  next  moment  sent  a  rifle  bullet  through 
the  ferocious  animal's  brain.  So  quickly  did 
it  all  happen,  that  Selema  stood  looking  on, 
not  even  frightened. 

The   next   morning   as   Chan   Fou   in  his 


THE   FRIENDSHIP  OF  CHAN   FOU.       245 

boat  passed  near  the  hut  on  his  way  to  the 
plantation,  he  stopped  to  speak  with  Hak- 
kouki.  Now  Chan  Fou  was  no  ordinary  man. 
He  had  come  from  his  home  in  Shanghai  in 
the  interest  of  the  sandalwood  industry. 
He  was  an  owner  in  the  steamship  line 
which  plied  between  Shanghai  and  Madras, 
and  had  been  a  commissioner  sent  from 
Shanghai  to  the  exposition  at  Paris  to  dis- 
play the  perfumes  of  the  East,  particularly 
the  sandalwood.  He  greeted  Hakkouki  in 
fairly  good  French,  for  he  had  heard  him 
speaking  with  his  servant  in  that  language, 
and  supposed  him  to  be  a  Frenchman.  Chan 
Fou's  gratitude  was  unbounded.  When  he 
learned  that  Hakkouki  was  in  Mysore  to 
study  the  growth  of  the  sandalwood,  he  was 
delighted  to  be  able  to  assist  him. 

"  It  gives  me  pleasure  to  know  you,  and 
regret  that  I  have  not  known  you  before," 
he  said  politely. 

Chan  Fou  was  a  learned  man,  although  he 
was  not  more  than  twenty-five. 


246  THE    GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

"You  know,"  he  said,  "  sandal  is  probably 
the  oldest  perfume  known.  It  is  spoken  of 
in  the  writings  of  Yaska,  a  Hindoo  who 
wrote  in  the  fifth  century  before  Christ,  and 
it  is  also  referred  to  in  epic  poems  of  the 
ancient  Sanskrit  of  about  the  same  date. 
In  Ceylon  the  essential  oil  was  used  as  early 
as  the  ninth  century  in  embalming  the 
corpses  of  princes.  At  the  present  time  the 
greatest  quantity  is  shipped  to  Shanghai,  for 
it  is  used  in  our  temples  as  incense.  We 
distil  the  oil  here  from  the  wood  and  export 
it  in  that  form.  But  much  wood  goes  to 
China  to  be  used  in  carving,  for  we  have 
small  pagodas  built  entirely  of  it." 

During  this  conversation,  Chan  Fou  and 
his  guest  were  moving  slowly  down-stream ; 
the  two  native  paddlers  singing  a  monoto- 
nous chant,  by  which  means  they  keep 
stroke. 

"We  used  to  raise  more  of  it  ourselves, 
but  since  the  privilege  has  been  conferred 
upon  the  East  India  Company  by  a  treaty 


THE   FRIENDSHIP   OF  CHAN  FOU.       247 

with  Hyder  All,  the  Hindoo  prince,  in  1770, 
they  have  been  able,  by  cultivation,  to  raise 
it  and  ship  it  to  us  at  a  lower  price  than 
we  can  get  it  in  China." 

Arriving  at  the  plantation,  Chan  Fou, 
learning  from  Hakkouki  his  desire  to  fully 
understand  the  growth  of  the  wood  with 
the  intention  of  reproducing  it  in  his  "  own 
country,"  was  most  interested,  and  showed 
him  and  explained  to  him  all  which  could 
be  of  importance. 

He  then  led  Hakkouki  to  a  summer-house 
which  was  built  like  something  between  a 
pagoda  and  a  mosque.  Here  they  partook 
of  a  drink  called  sandal  sherbet,  which  is 
made  from  powdered  wood,  and  is  very  cool- 
ing and  sedative.  Hakkouki  felt  much  re- 
freshed, for  the  heat  of  the  day  was  intense. 
Later,  Chan  Fou  offered  Hakkouki  a  long 
tobacco  pipe  with  a  tiny  bowl,  and  thus  they 
whiled  away  the  time  of  day  when  the  heat 
is  greatest. 

"  Yes,  sandal  is  produced  hi  India  in  enor- 


248  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

mous  quantities  since  the  control  of  the  Brit- 
ish here,"  continued  the  Chinaman.  "At 
least  thirteen  thousand  tons  are  cut  every 
year,  and  still  it  retains  its  value.  Here, 
in  Mysore,  it  sells  for  a  quarter  its  weight 
in  silver." 

Hakkouki  enjoyed  every  moment  spent 
with  this  interesting,  intelligent,  and  cour- 
teous man.  He  told  him  that  he  was 
going  to  China  to  journey  up  the  Yang-tse- 
Kiang  River  for  musk.  At  this  news  Chan 
Fou's  joy  was  great. 

"  Ah !  Now  I  can  assist  you  indeed,"  he 
said.  "  You  must  go  to  Shanghai,  to  my 
home.  I  have  friends  who  deal  in  musk  in 
Shanghai,  and  to  them  I  will  send  you." 

And  so  it  was  decided.  Chan  Fou  wrote 
letters  for  Hakkouki  to  take,  and  sent  a 
native  to  Madras  to  make  all  necessary  ar- 
rangements for  Hakkouki's  earliest  depar- 
ture. 

As  soon  as  his  preparations  were  com- 
plete, Hakkouki  was  taken  to  Madras  by 


THE   FRIENDSHIP   OF   CHAN  FOU.       249 

Chan  Fou  himself,  where,  following  his 
friend's  advice,  he  dressed  himself  in  Chi- 
nese costume. 

Just  before  touching  at  Singapore,  Ah-Gap 
expressed  a  desire  to  leave  Hakkouki's  ser- 
vice, and  return  to  Java. 

"  I  wish  not  to  go  into  a  country  which 
is  peopled  by  heathens  and  savages,"  said 
he. 

Hakkouki  therefore  paid  Ah-Gap  what 
was  due  him,  and  regretfully  bade  him 
good-by,  for  the  Javanese  had  been  a  faith- 
ful and  willing  servant. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

INTO   THE   FORBIDDEN   COUNTRY. 

the  voyage  to  Shanghai,  Hakkouki 
felt  very  lonely  and  found  it  hard '  to 
pass  the  time.  He  looked  over  his  letters  and 
papers  which  Chan  Fou  had  so  kindly  given 
him,  but  found  every  word  unintelligible. 
He  then  counted  his  money  to  see  how 
much  he  had  left  from  his  life  in  Mysore. 
He  was  surprised  to  find  two  bags  which 
he  had  filled  with  silver,  now  contained 
only  copper  coins. 

"Ah-Gap,"  he  said  sadly  to  himself. 
"Well,  I  suppose  a  Malay  is  a  born  thief, 
so  I  must  forgive  him.  But  I  would  rather 
not  have  known." 

Hakkouki  sat  for  a  long  time  brooding 
over  this,  and  feeling  very  lonely.  A 

250 


INTO    THE   FORBIDDEN  COUNTRY.       251 

gentleman  paced  the  deck  near  him,  evi- 
dently intent  on  his  own  thoughts.  After 
a  time  he  appeared  to  take  notice  of  Hak- 
kouki,  and  approaching,  he  spoke  a  few 
words  in  Chinese.  Hakkouki  was  not  able 
to  answer,  and  felt  somewhat  chagrined 
that  he  should  be  wearing  the  clothing  of 
a  nation  whose  language  he  was  unable  to 
understand.  The  gentleman  than  tried  Hin- 
doostanee,  and  at  last  Spanish.  The  last 
Hakkouki  was  able  to  speak. 

"Yes,"  he  replied,  "I  am  going  to  Shang- 
hai, and  I  was  advised  by  a  Chinese  friend 
to  wear  the  dress,  as  I  am  to  go  imme- 
diately to  his  home." 

The  conversation  once  started  proved  a 
cure  for  Hakkouki' s  loneliness,  and  when  he 
went  on  deck  next  morning,  he  again  ad- 
dressed his  new-found  friend. 

During  the  day  the  stranger  informed 
Hakkouki  that  his  •  home  was  in  Calcutta, 
but  that  he  was  going  to  Shanghai,  and 
from  there  proceed  up  the  river  to  a  place 


252  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

called  Sui  Fu,  where  he  had  business.  This 
acquaintance  proved  of  the  utmost  value  to 
Hakkouki.  The  gentleman  proved  to  be 
none  other  than  Kishen  Singh,  a  native  of 
Krishna  in  British  Thibet,  and  a  man  well 
and  favorably  known  by  reason  of  his 
wonderful  survey  of  Eastern  Thibet. 

Chan  Fou's  family  rendered  Hakkouki 
every  assistance,  but  as  he  had  the  oppor- 
tunity to  ascend  the  river  in  company  with 
Kishen  Singh,  he  was  unable  to  make  an 
extended  visit  and  receive  all  the  attentions 
which  these  hospitable  people  wished  to 
show  him.  They  supplied  him  with  a  faith- 
ful escort  of  six  Mongols,  who  were  ac- 
quainted with  the  country,  and  of  sworn 
allegiance  to  the  family. 

At  Ichang  they  left  the  steamer,  as  from 
this  point  the  ascent  of  the  river  is  diffi- 
cult. The  Wu-Shan  Rapids  are  said  to  be 
as  formidable  as  the  Lachine  Rapids  of  the 
St.  Lawrence,  and  no  steamboat  is  capable 
of  stemming  the  force  of  the  current.  At 


INTO   THE   FORBIDDEN   COUNTRY.      253 

this  place  Hakkouki  and  Kishen  Singh 
were  able  to  continue  their  journey  on  a 
junk,  this  being  the  conveyance  by  which 
the  products  of  Thibet,  tea  and  musk  being 
among  the  principal  ones,  are  conveyed 
over  this  difficult  part  of  the  river  to 
China.  Amidst  the  noise  of  firecrackers 
and  the  burning  of  joss-paper,  they  started, 
two  or  three  lifeboats  with  crews,  ready  for 
an  emergency,  accompanying  them. 

This  journey  up  the  river,  still  the  only 
mode  of  travelling  in  that  part  of  the 
country,  was  a  remarkable  trip,  and  took 
them  thirty-three  days  to  accomplish.  The 
junk  was  heavily  laden  with  Chinese  goods 
for  the  interior,  and  worked  its  way  up- 
stream amidst  apparently  insurmountable 
difficulties.  The  "trackers,"  who  towed 
the  junk  from  a  tow-path  at  the  side  of  the 
river,  were  directed  by  the  beating  of  a 
drum  upon  the  junk's  bow.  Every  little 
while  a  man  especially  appointed  for  the 
work  would  calmly  leap  into  the  river  and 


254  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

clamber  on  to  some  rock  and  clear  the 
tow-line,  which  had  got  foul.  In  this  way 
they  at  last  reached  Sui  Fu. 

Hakkouki  had  described  his  intended 
journey  into  Thibet  most  graphically  and 
temptingly  to  Kishen  Singh,  and  begged 
his  company;  but  on  each  occasion  he  had 
received  the  answer,  "  It  would  give  me 
the  greatest  pleasure,  but  I  did  not  come 
to  China  for  pleasure." 

They  had  been  in  Sui  Fu  a  week,  during 
which  time  Hakkouki  had  been  busy  mak- 
ing his  preparations  and  had  seen  little  of 
Kishen  Singh.  As  he  sat  drinking  his  tea 
one  morning,  planning  for  his  trip,  and 
thinking  of  the  coolies  whom  he  would 
engage,  and  how  they  should  be  packed, 
the  entrance  to  his  room  was  darkened  by 
the  now  familiar  figure  of  his  friend.  He 
sprang  forward  at  once  to  meet  him,  but 
drew  back  when  he  noticed  the  dark, 
threatening  expression  on  the  face  of  his 
guest. 


INTO   THE   FORBIDDEN  COUNTRY.      255 

"  What  has  gone  wrong  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Oh,  everything,"  was  the  answer. 
"  Oh,  these  barbarous  Chinese !  What  can 
one  do  with  them?  My  patience  is  at  an 
end.  '  Come  again  in  three  years,'  they 
say  to  me.  '  We  will  then  have  a  new 
Amban  in  Ta  Chien-lu,  and  you  may  then 
be  successful.' " 

Kishen  Singh  threw  himself  upon  a  roll 
of  blankets,  utterly  discouraged.  It  had 
been  the  one  desire-  of  his  life  to  make  a 
complete  survey  of  Thibet.  He  had  ac- 
complished much  already,  but  was  continu- 
ally balked  by  the  objection  which  the 
Chinese  had  to  opening  up  their  interior 
to  foreigners.  He  never  lost  hope,  how- 
ever. In  three  years'  time,  or  six  years, 
or  whatever  they  required,  he  should  come 
again.  But  oh !  the  time  was  so  precious, 
for  one  cannot  live  always. 

Kishen  Singh  was  a  man  of  small  stature, 
but  of  great  dignity,  erect  and  strong,  with 
a  remarkably  deep  and  powerful  voice, 


256  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

although  accustomed  to  speak  in  a  soft  and 
subdued  tone.  He  wore  his  hair  short,  was 
beardless,  seemingly  by  nature,  and  therefore 
had  no  need  to  shave.  His  features  were 
regular,  his  face  rather  broad.  His  black 
eyes  were  very  intelligent,  his  mouth  deli- 
cate, and  eyebrows  clearly  defined.  Having 
thrown  himself  upon  the  roll  of  blankets, 
he  instantly  assumed  a  position  of  perfect 
comfort,  and  though  irritated  and  annoyed, 
showed  no  suggestion  of  it  in  his  manner. 

"Perhaps  you  will  be  able  to  obtain  per- 
mission from  the  mandarin  to  enter,  which 
will  give  you  power  over  the  head  of  the 
Amban,"  said  Hakkouki. 

"  Yes,  I  am  trying ;  but  even  that  means 
delay.  Ah  !  it  is  always  delay  here  in  China," 
he  answered. 

"  But  during  that  time  can  you  not  go  with 
me  and  enjoy  the  pleasure  which  you  did 
not  come  to  China  for?"  said  Hakkouki, 
seductively. 

Kishen  Singh's  expression  changed,  and  a 


INTO   THE  FORBIDDEN  COUNTRY.      257 

ray  of  joy  lighted  up  his  countenance.     But 
for  several  moments  he  did  not  speak. 

"  When  do  you  go  ?  "  he  asked,  at  last. 

"  Whenever  it  is  your  royal  wish,"  said 
Hakkouki,  overjoyed. 

Kishen  Singh  smiled,  and  realizing  how 
ardently  Hakkouki  wished  his  company,  he 
then  and  there  agreed.  This  was  of  the 
greatest  advantage  to  Hakkouki,  on  account 
of  Kishen  Singh's  knowledge  of  the  country,* 
and  experience  as  an  explorer;  but  more 
than  that  he  had  conceived  for  this  remark- 
able person  a  great  liking.  Hakkouki  being 
himself  of  a  noble  type,  distinguished  and 
superior  to  his  fellows,  was  also  possessed  of 
a  heart  so  warm  and  sympathetic  that  it 
responded  quickly  to  the  call  for  affection 
which  exists  in  all  human  beings,  and  he  had 
been  attracted  by  this  man  when  first  he 
spoke  to  him. 

As  the  days  of  their  acquaintance  length- 
ened into  weeks,  the  affection  between  them 
had  deepened.  Though  Hakkouki  was  accus- 


258  THE  GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

tomed  to  find  the  best  in  every  human  being, 
and  to  be  satisfied  with  that,  he  was  con- 
tinually surprised  as  the  greatness  of  this 
man's  soul  was  further  comprehended  by  him. 
To  have  the  companionship  of  a  man  like 
this,  seemed  to  Hakkouki  a  stroke  of  good 
fortune,  such  as  he  could  never  have  antici- 
pated. Little  of  this  thought  was  he  able 
to  put  into  words  as  he  sat  drinking  his  tea 
that  morning  in  Sui  Fu.  A  smile  told  it  all 
to  Kishen  Singh.  There  is  a  comprehension 
between  those  who  live  for  high  purposes 
in  life,  who  study  and  love  their  fellows, 
which  has  no  need  of  words. 

But  there  was  work  to  be  done,  for  the 
life  in  the  mountains  must  be  provided  for. 
The  musk-deer  is  found  only  in  the  high 
altitudes,  never  less  than  eight  thousand  feet 
above  sea-level.  As  its  domicile  borders  on 
the  region  of  eternal  snow,  clothing  and  pro- 
visions for  a  cold  climate  must  be  procured. 

"  Our  first  care  must  be  for  our  passports," 
said  Kishen  Singh.  "  In  this  respect  the 


INTO   THE  FORBIDDEN   COUNTRY.       259 

Thibetans  are  more  particular  than  any  other 
race." 

Chan  Fou's  friendship  had  provided  Hak- 
kouki  with  this  necessity,  and  Kishen  Singh, 
being  himself  a  native  of  British  Thibet,  was 
able  to  travel  with  British  papers.  This  is 
not  so  agreeable  to  the  Thibetans,  but  Kishen 
Singh,  knowing  their  prejudices,  had  also 
appealed  to  his  Chinese  friends  of  influence 
in  Shanghai. 

"  Then  comes  the  matter  of  religion,"  said 
he. 

"  I  am   a  Mohammedan,"  said  Hakkouki. 

"  That  is  good,"  said  Kishen  Singh.  "  I 
am  a  Buddhist.  The  Christians  are  often  ex- 
posed to  trouble  in  travelling,  but  a  Buddhist, 
even  a  British  subject,  is  considered  almost 
one  of  them ;  and  as  we  shall  have  Moham- 
medans among  our  coolies,  your  religion  will 
be  a  comfort  to  them.  They  are  very  de- 
pendent upon  their  masters." 

Since  all  the  journey  beyond  the  first  hun- 
dred miles  was  to  be  made  on  foot,  and  all  the 


260  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

baggage  and  provisions  were  to  be  carried  by 
men,  it  was  necessary  to  have  twenty-four 
coolies,  twelve  for  each  hunter.  Occasionally 
the  yak  is  made  use  of  by  the  musk  hunter 
for  transportation  purposes,  but  no  time  is 
gained  by  using  it,  for  the  speed  of  the  cara- 
van must  be  that  of  the  men  who  walk. 
Hakkouki,  therefore,  thought  best  to  take 
only  men  as  porters.  Moreover,  when  ani- 
mals are  made  use  of,  whether  ponies,  camels, 
or  yaks,  not  only  are  they  often  led  off  in  the 
night  by  brigands,  but  they  have  a  most  ex- 
asperating habit  of  disappearing  on  their  own 
account. 

"I  remember,"  said  Kishen  Singh,  "when 
I  camped  once  on  the  hills  only  a  few  hun- 
dred miles  from  Lassa,  awaking  one  morn- 
ing to  the  knowledge  that  twenty-four  of  our 
animals,  ponies  and  camels,  had  disappeared 
in  the  night.  As  the  country  was  full  of 
brigands,  we  thought  we  knew  the  cause, 
but  at  the  end  of  four  days'  delay  the  men 
came  in  with  the  last  of  the  strayed  ponies. 


INTO   THE   FORBIDDEN  COUNTRY.      261 

They  will  get  off  when  hobbled  in  a  way 
that  doesn't  seem  possible  for  them  to  go 
ten  feet." 

"  That  isn't  to  be  one  of  our  troubles," 
said  Hakkouki.  "  Coolies  wron't  stray  far 
from  the  provision  boxes." 

Kishen  Singh  smiled.  His  face  was  now 
as  bright  as  a  summer's  morning.  Once  hav- 
ing thrown  off  care,  he  was  determined  to 
make  the  most  of  his  pleasure. 

They  travelled  south  in  single  file,  the 
native  guide  taking  the  lead ;  then  Hak- 
kouki and  Kishen  Singh ;  behind  them  came 
the  water-carriers,  the  tent  porters,  the  bed- 
ding-carriers;  two  men  with  fur  clothing 
for  the  cold  weather  in  the  high  altitudes; 
two  with  cooking  pots,  plates,  canteens,  and 
so  forth;  two  with  tea,  sugar,  and  other 
stores ;  two  with  ammunition ;  the  same  num- 
ber with  guns  and  rifles ;  and  two  men  with 
sundries. 

All  were  dressed  at  the  start  in  the  ordi- 
nary Chinese  costume  of  the  lowlands,  very 


262  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

light  and  cool ;  but  as  the  cold  of  the  moun- 
tain of  Thibet  is  extreme,  they  were  also  pro- 
vided with  warm  woollen  suits,  and  fur 
garments,  to  the  ankles.  These  were  to  be 
strapped  in  by  a  belt  during  the  day,  and 
drawn  to  the  height  of  the  knees.  At  night 
they  would  be  dropped  to  their  full  length 
and  serve  as  bed  clothing. 

Kishen  Singh  was  in  the  best  of  humor; 
nothing  could  disturb  his  serenity.  However, 
all  did  not  go  smoothly,  even  while  travelling 
in  true  Chinese  territory.  The  tramp  of  each 
day  was  hard  and  long,  and  consequently 
fatiguing  to  a  man  somewhat  out  of  practice. 
Then,  one  of  the  coolies  died,  and  it  was 
insisted  by  the  others  that  the  death  was 
caused  by  a  snake.  As  the  man  was  a  Mus- 
sulman, Hakkouki  was  obliged  to  perform 
the  rites  of  burial,  while  all  the  other  coolies, 
in  open-mouthed  awe,  stood  by. 

That  night  Akoun,  the  guide,  came  to  Hak- 
kouki, and  said,  "  It  is  best  to  give  up  the 
expedition." 


INTO    THE   FORBIDDEN  COUNTRY,      263 

"Indeed;  why?"  asked  Hakkouki. 

"  Ah,  no  good  fortune  can  coine  now  after 
this  ill  omen." 

"  It  is  sad  that  Dazi  is  dead,  but  I  see  no 
ill  omen  in  his  death,"  said  Hakkouki. 

"  It  is  not  his  death,"  was  the  reply,  "  but 
because  it  was  caused  by  a  snake." 

"  How  can  that  be  ?  There  are  no  snakes 
about,"  said  Hakkouki. 

"  Agreed,"  said  Akoun ;  "  we  have  not  seen 
them,  but  that  is  no  proof.  Nothing  else 
could  have  caused  his  death,  for  he  was 
blessed  against  death  from  every  other 
cause,  but  being  a  poor  man  he  had  not 
the  money  required  to  be  blessed  against 
snakes.  So  it  is  by  a  snake  that  he  has 
died,  and  nothing  but  ill  luck  can  come  to 
us." 

The  men  wept  and  groaned,  and  refused  to 
go  on. 

"  They  must  be  beaten,"  said  the  guide, 
simply,  who  claimed  to  be  a  man  of  great 
intelligence.  Although  he  was  sure  that  the 


264  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

death  had  been  caused  by  a  snake,  he  was 
willing,  nevertheless,  to  proceed  even  in  the 
face  of  bad  luck,  and  was  ready  to  beat  the 
coolies  into  submission,  provided  his  pay  was 
doubled. 

Hakkouki  was  in  despair,  but  Kishen  Singh 
went  out  where  the  men  lay  flat  upon  their 
faces,  grovelling  upon  the  earth,  in  their 
wretchedness,  and  praying  for  forgiveness. 
They  believed  that  this  horror  had  been 
brought  upon  them  because  of  some  past  sin. 
All  night  they  had  lain  in  abject  misery. 
The  day  was  dawning ;  a  rosy  hue  pervaded 
the  sky,  and  reflected  a  soft  pink  coloring 
upon  the  misty  gray  of  the  surrounding 
country. 

Kishen  Singh  raised  his  arms,  and  in  his 
deep  voice  said,  "  Rise,  and  look  upon  me  !  " 
The  men  obeyed.  Silence  for  several  mo- 
ments reigned,  while  Kishen  Singh  looked 
steadily  at  them.  Then  he  continued  sol- 
emnly, "  He  who  holds  us  in  the  palm  of  his 
hand  has  forgiven  you.  See,"  he  said,  point- 


INTO    THE   FORBIDDEN  COUNTRY.      265 

ing  to  the  sun  just  showing  above  the  far- 
distant  hills ;  "  He  sends  his  messenger  of 
light  to  tell  you." 

The  effect  of  this  speech  upon  the  coolies 
was  electrical.  The  men,  children  as  they 
truly  are,  needed  but  the  assurance  of  their 
master  that  all  was  well.  They  set  to  work 
at  once  to  rectify  the  condition  of  the  camp, 
to  pack  on  their  burdens,  and  when  the 
march  was  resumed,  they  travelled  at  a  speed 
much  greater  than  any  they  had  previously 
accomplished. 

The  coolies  of  this  region,  who  act  as  hill 
porters,  are  people  of  a  wandering  nature 
and  unknown  origin.  They  are  a  mixture 
of  Chinese,  Thibetans,  East  Indians,  and 
various  races,  speak  dialects  of  several  lan- 
guages, and  have  at  the  same  time  a  remark- 
able resemblance  to  each  other  in  personal 
appearance  as  well  as  character,  all  of  which 
shows  that  climatic  and  educational  influ- 
ences are  more  powerful  with  them  than 
inheritance. 


266  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

The  caravan  soon  reached  a  higher  alti- 
tude, and  they  felt  the  cold  winds  blowing 
over  the  snow-capped  mountains.  One  night, 
having  pitched  their  tents  upon  an  eminence, 
sheltered  on  the  side  from  which  the  wind 
came  by  the  mountain  rising  still  higher 
above  them,  they  looked  off  over  the  sur- 
rounding country.  In  the  distance,  as  the 
night  grew  darker,  they  could  distinctly  see 
the  fires  of  another  camp  across  the  ravine 
where  the  river  flowed. 

"They  are  hunters,"  said  Kishen  Singh, 
after  watching  for  some  time.  "  And  they 
have  had  good  luck." 

"  How  do  you  know?  "  asked  Hakkouki. 

"  They  cook  their  meat,"  answered  Kishen 
Singh,  simply. 

"  Then  they  are  not  musk  hunters  ?  " 

"Well,  they  might  be.  The  flesh  of  the 
musk-deer  is  remarkably  good,  and  has  no 
flavor  of  musk;  but  I  think  they  are  hunting 
larger  game." 

Again  Hakkouki  inquired  how  he  knew. 


INTO    THE   FORBIDDEN   COUNTRY.       267 

"  Because  they  are  English,"  answered 
Kishen  Singh. 

"  Tell  me  how  you  know  that,"  persisted 
Hakkouki. 

"  Because  they  have  more  than  one  fire." 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

THE    GRAND   LAMA. 

T^HE   next   day,   after   crossing  the   river, 

they   passed  the  Englishmen,  and  were 

warned  by  them  of  the  dangers  in  advance. 

aWe  have  suffered  extortion  in  every 
form,"  said  the  hunters.  "These  people 
are  most  cruel  and  barbarous.  They  even 
imprisoned  our  Indian  servants,  and  caused 
us  much  anxiety  and  delay.  We  advise  you 
to  turn  back  before  it  is  too  late." 

But  Hakkouki,  having  undertaken  a  thing, 
was  hardly  the  man  to  turn  back.  Later 
he  said  to  Kishen  Singh  :  — 

"  Have  you  any  desire  to  profit  by  the 
warning  of  the  Englishmen  ?  " 

A  pleasant  smile  from  Kishen  Singh  was 
his  only  answer. 


THE   GRAND  LAMA.  269 

As  they  kept  to  the  regular  trail,  they  met 
other  caravans  going  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion. They  noticed  even  in  so  short  a  time 
a  change  in  the  people,  especially  in  those 
who  were  packing  tea,  from  place  to  place. 
One  man  carries  his  bricks  of  tea  a  certain 
distance,  where  they  are  taken  up  by  an- 
other, while  he  returns  for  more,  thereby 
going  over  the  same  road  each  day.  By 
packing  the  bricks  one  above  another  high 
over  their  heads,  and  in  parallel  lines  the 
width  of  their  shoulders,  they  were  able  to 
carry  enormous  quantities. 

The  average  load  is  nine  packages  —  about 
two  hundred  pounds  ;  but  some  men  carry 
as  many  as  seventeen  —  over  three  hundred 
pounds.  Women  frequently  carry  seven  or 
eight,  and  even  children  were  seen  trudging 
along  behind  their  parents  with  a  package 
or  two. 

At  the  beginning  of  then*  journey  these 
tea  porters  were  Chinese,  with  the  custo- 
mary clothing  and  queue,  but  as  Hakkouki's 


270  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

caravan  went  onward  into  the  mountains  of 
the  Yunnan  country  in  Eastern  Thibet,  the 
passers-by  presented  a  marked  change,  both  of 
feature  and  raiment.  Although  the  govern- 
ment is  in  the  hands  of  the  Chinese,  who  keep 
in  every  village  a  representative  known  as 
the  Amban,  the  Thibetans  are  still  very 
independent,  and  often  the  Amban  stands 
more  in  fear  of  them  than  they  of  him,  as 
Hakkouki  and  Kishen  Singh  soon  had  reason 
to  learn. 

As  a  spur  to  their  enthusiasm  they  met 
musk  hunters  returning,  and  although  to 
their  inquiry,  "Have  you  had  good  fortune?" 
they  invariably  received  the  same  answer, 
"  There  are  no  longer  any  musk-deer  in  the 
mountains,"  they  continued  to  push  on.  "  For," 
they  reasoned,  "  had  they  not  obtained  their 
usual  load  they  would  not  return."  But 
musk,  even  in  the  hills,  is  so  valuable,  sell- 
ing at  the  rate  of  five  dollars  for  a  good 
pod  weighing  about  an  ounce,  that  competi- 
tion cannot  be  encouraged. 


THE   GRAND  LAMA.  271 

One  night  they  camped  in  close  proximity 
to  a  company  of  hunters,  and  here  it  was 
decided  to  remain  for  a  few  days,  at  least, 
and  make  a  trial.  The  altitude  was  about 
twelve  thousand  feet.  During  the  day  the 
cold,  dry  wind  had  cut  their  skins  into  deep 
fissures,  which  were  so  painful  as  to  prevent 
their  sleeping.  For  protection  they  manu- 
factured helmets  of  thick  cloth,  with  a  mask 
to  cover  the  face,  in  which  were  cut  two 
holes  for  the  eyes.  Both  Hakkouki  and 
Kishen  Singh  were  meat-hungry;  for  the 
weather  was  cold,  and  they  had  depended 
upon  their  skill  in  hunting  to  supply  this 
article. 

"If  we  get  no  musk-deer,  we  may  get  a 
stag  or  a  goat,  or  at  least  something  edible," 
said  Hakkouki. 

They  were  surprised,  soon  after  supper, 
by  a  visit  from  one  of  their  neighbors. 
He  was  a  Chinaman,  and  a  more  uncanny 
and  unreliable-looking  being  Hakkouki,  in 
all  his  wanderings,  had  not  come  upon.  He 


272  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

was  evidently  clever,  of  an  intriguing  order, 
with  a  suspicious  gleam  in  his  narrow,  rest- 
less eyes,  and  a  coarse,  cruel  mouth,  con- 
stantly in  motion,  even  when  not  speaking. 
His  queue  was  twisted  about  his  head  under 
his  headdress,  and  therefore  made  no  show- 
ing. Having  been  in  the  mountains  a  long 
time,  he  had  allowed  his  hair  to  grow  over 
his  forehead  to  his  eyebrows. 

"Are  you  Chinamen?"  he  asked,  bending 
forward  and  spreading  his  arms  in  greeting, 
at  the  same  time  letting  his  tongue  drop 
from  his  mouth  to  the  end  of  his  chin.  This 
is  the  greef  ag  of  the  Thibetans,  and  might 
have  been  misleading  had  not  Kishen  Singh 
been  familiar  with  both  races. 

"  No ;  I  am  a  Thibetan,"  answered  Kishen 
Singh,  in  good  Chinese. 

This,  their  visitor  evidently  did  not  be- 
lieve, as,  after  a  momentary  look  of  surprise, 
he  said,  "  I  thought  so ;  otherwise  you 
would  not  have  dared  enter  the  country  at 
such  a  time  as  this."  Then,  looking  curi- 


THE   GRAND  LAMA.  273 

ously  about,  he  added,  "  Perhaps  you  are 
pilgrims  who  travel  to  the  sacred  city  of 
Lassa?" 

"  No,"  answered  Kishen  Singh.  "  We  are 
here  to  hunt  the  musk-deer." 

"  Then  I  must  disappoint  you,"  said  the 
Chinaman.  "  The  Chinese  government  has 
passed  a  law  prohibiting  the  killing  of  the 
deer.  They  are  becoming  almost  unknown 
in  these  parts,  and  time  must  be  given  for 
their  protection  and  increase." 

"  But,"  answered  Kishen  Singh,  "  as  the 
control  by  the  government  over  these  out- 
lying districts  is  somewhat  shadowy,  the 
value  of  musk,  and  the  ease  with  which  it 
can  be  surreptitiously  sent  away,  would  cer- 
tainly place  a  premium  on  poaching." 

The  Chinaman  rose  to  his  feet,  and  his 
eyes  became  narrower  as  he  spoke. 

"  I  am  here  to  prevent  poaching,  should 
you  attempt  it." 

"  How  ?  "  asked  Kishen  Singh,  quietly. 

"  I  have  a  guard.     I  can  arrest  you." 


274  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

"What  would  that  profit  you?"  asked 
Kishen  Singh. 

Instantly  this  word  quieted  the  Celestial, 
and  he  seated  himself  on  the  left  side  of 
the  opening  to  the  tent  again,  as  is  the 
custom  in  Thibet. 

"  Perhaps  you  can  make  it  more  profit- 
able to  me  not  to  arrest  you,"  said  he, 
suavely. 

"Perhaps,"  was  the  smiling  rejoinder  of 
Kishen  Singh. 

"  Now,  what  would  you  offer  ?  " 

"  Well,  we  can  talk  of  that  later,  when 
we  have  decided  to  poach." 

At  last,  the  Chinaman,  unable  to  get  a 
settled  statement  of  price,  was  forced  to  de- 
part. But  every  evening  during  their  stay 
he  paid  them  a  visit  and  discussed  the 
matter  of  payment.  By  these  visits  Hak- 
kouki  and  Kishen  Singh  obtained  more  in- 
formation than  they  could  have  done  in 
any  other  way.  The  Chinaman  told  them 
of  the  habits  of  the  animal,  and  even  the 


THE    GRAND  LAMA.  275 

most  probable  locations  of  its  lair.  But  his 
amazement  would  have  been  great  had  he 
known  that  every  evening  after  he  took 
his  departure,  they  started  out  upon  their 
hunt.  This  they  very  cautiously  kept  to 
themselves,  while  the  Chinaman  went  home 
chuckling. 

"  They  hunt  the  deer  in  the  daytime.  A 
precious  pair  of  fools !  When  the  animal 
never  leaves  its  lair  while  the  sun  shines!" 

Hakkouki  and  Kishen  Singh,  however, 
knew  this  before  they  came  to  the  hills. 

Hakkouki  had  once  before  hunted  at 
night,  and  he  was  very  forcibly  reminded 
of  his  experience  with  the  civet  in  Abys- 
sinia, which  now  seemed  to  him  so  long  ago. 

"They  sleep,  they  sleep,"  laughed  the 
Chinaman.  "  They  thank  me  for  all  that 
I  tell  them,  and  go  out  in  the  daytime  to 
hunt  the  deer  which  sleeps,  which  sleeps." 

And  he  stood  off  in  the  darkness  of  the 
woods  and  watched  the  camp  close  up  and 
settle  down  to  slumber.  Then,  shaking 


276  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

with    cold   and   laughter,   he   hurried   on   to 
sleep  himself. 

He  would  not  have  slept  so  happily  had  he 
dreamt  of  what  really  took  place.  With 
their  guns  upon  their  shoulders,  and  four  of 
the  coolies  carrying  ammunition  and  food, 
they  started  off  in  the  opposite  direction  from 
their  neighbor's  camp.  Rounding  the  hill, 
they  came  up  on  the  other  side  near  a  clump 
of  birch  and  juniper  trees,  thickly  inter- 
spersed by  the  low  bushy  rhododendrons,  and 
there  quietly  lay  in  waiting. 

The  animals  are  not  gregarious,  but  go 
about  in  couples.  As  the  male  only  is  pos- 
sessed of  the  gland  in  which  the  musk  is 
secreted,  Hakkouki  was  anxious  to  shoot  only 
the  male.  He  had  purposely  separated  him 
self  from  the  others,  who  were  to  stalk  the 
animal  from  a  different  direction.  He  had 
already  been  told  how  the  deer,  upon  observ- 
ing any  one,  will  generally  stand  perfectly 
motionless  for  a  long  time,  gazing  at  the  in- 
truder. As  he  lay  upon  the  ground,  he  found 


THE   GRAND  LAMA.  277 

his  long  fur  garment  very  comfortable.  It 
seemed  hours  that  he  lay  thus.  As  his  eyes 
became  accustomed  to  the  darkness,  he  could 
make  out  objects  in  the  distance,  which  he 
had  not  at  first  been  able  to  see.  Trees  and 
branches,  hills  and  leaves,  outlined  themselves 
gradually  as  he  lay  there ;  but  the  clump  of 
thick  shrubbery  was  the  one  thing  upon 
which  his  attention  was  riveted.  Still  noth- 
ing moved  within  or  without  it.  Hours 
passed,  and  in  time  Hakkouki  felt  no  comfort 
in  his  fine  fur  garment,  for  certainly  he  could 
not  be  colder  had  he  been  without  it.  His 
teeth  chattered,  and  he  feared,  should  the 
animal  really  show  itself,  his  fingers  would 
be  too  numb  to  pull  the  trigger.  A  terrible 
feeling  of  loneliness,  moreover,  came  over 
him.  The  complete  isolation  was  terrible. 
No  sound  or  sight  had  he  been  able  to  catch 
of  Kishen  Singh  and  the  men  since  he  had 
left  them.  He  had  planned  to  lie  there  until 
dawn,  but  it  was  so  long  in  coming  that  Hak- 
kouki felt  that  something  must  be  wrong 


278  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

with  it,  for  certainly  it  was  long  past  time 
for  daylight  to  appear.  He  had  about  given 
up  all  hope,  when  suddenly  a  sound  fell  upon 
his  ear.  It  was  the  cracking  of  a  twig. 
Could  it  be  a  deer  ?  Later,  he  heard  another 
sound  still  farther  off,,  and  was  able  to  dis- 
cern moving  figures.  They  were  men.  His 
impatience  knew  no  bounds.  It  must  be 
Kishen  Singh  and  the  men  returning  to  the 
camp,  he  thought.  But  no !  they  were 
strange  men.  He  could  see  plainly.  They 
were  some  of  the  Chinaman's  coolies. 

At  that  moment,  within  a  few  feet  of  his 
left  arm,  another  sound  caught  his  ear  and  he 
heard  a  soft  breathing.  He  glanced  in  the 
direction  and  there  could  see  the  head  of  a 
deer  thrust  out  among  the  leaves.  The  slen- 
der tusks,  two  or  three  inches  long,  protruding 
over  the  lower  lip,  pronounced  it  to  be  a 
male.  With  his  great,  gentle  eyes,  the  deer 
watched  the  moving  figures,  who  were  now 
too  far  away  to  see  him.  It  stood  perfectly 
motionless,  occasionally  uttering  a  loud  hiss. 


THE   GRAND  LAMA.  279 

Knowing  the  folly  of  haste,  Hakkouki  slowly 
raised  the  rifle  in  position,  pointed  it  just 
below  the  shoulder,  and  drew  the  trigger. 

The  animal  fell  immediately,  and  Hakkouki 
lay  as  still  as  before  and  patiently  watched 
his  unknown  stalkers  going  in  the  opposite 
direction.  When  they  had  disappeared,  he 
rose  and  went  to  secure  the  game.  The 
animal  was  much  smaller  than  he  had  sup- 
posed it  would  be,  standing  not  more  than 
twenty  inches  at  the  shoulder,  and  of  a  gen- 
eral dark  gray  color,  with  almost  black  spots. 
The  hair  was  of  a  peculiar  kind,  long,  rough, 
and  very  brittle,  though  undoubtedly  a  good 
protection  against  the  cold.  As  he  stood  gaz- 
ing, a  noise  behind  attracted  his  attention, 
and  the  mate  appeared.  Seeing  Hakkouki, 
with  one  long  heartrending  shriek,  she  took 
to  flight.  Her  immensely  elongated  heels 
gave  her  a  wonderfully  firm  hold  as  she  sped 
over  the  uneven  rocky  country,  and,  with  the 
swiftness  of  a  chamois,  she  was  soon  out  of 
sight. 


280  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

Hakkouki  was  anxious  to  find  his  party 
as  soon  as  possible,  and  he  also  wished  to 
wait  long  enough  to  give  the  strangers 
time  to  get  completely  out  of  hearing.  He 
wondered  they  hadn't  come  to  him  upon 
hearing  the  report  of  the  rifle;  but  if  Hak- 
kouki had  been  able  to  see  round  the  cliff, 
he  would  have  seen  his  stalkers  taking  to 
their  heels. 

Kishen  Singh  happened  to  witness  the 
whole  proceeding,  and  therefore  lay  quietly 
until  Hakkouki  threw  the  animal  over  his 
shoulder  and  turned  toward  the  camp. 
Then  Kishen  Singh  joined  him. 

"  Our  neighbors,"  he  said,  "  were  examin- 
ing their  snares ;  they  do  not  shoot  the  ani- 
mal, but  set  traps  and  go  to  them  toward 
morning." 

"Did  they  know  we  "were  here,  do  you 
think?"  asked  Hakkouki. 

"  No ;  they  had  not  a  suspicion  of  it.  I 
could  hear  them  talk." 

"  But  the  report  of  the  rifle,"  said  Hakkouki. 


THE   GRAND  LAMA.  281 

"Ah,  you  should  have  seen  them  run," 
laughed  Kishen  Singh.  "  But  we  must 
get  back;  it  will  soon  be  light." 

The  Chinaman  changed  the  hour  of  his 
call,  and  when  he  arrived  next  day  at  noon 
he  found  his  neighbors  gone  to  hunt. 

"That's  good,"  he  chuckled.  "They 
must  work  hard  so  they  will  sleep  to-night." 
His  ugly  face  screwed  itself  into  a  most 
painful  expression,  as  he  continued,  "I'd 
like  to  know  who  fired  that  shot.  Can  we 
have  other  visitors  in  these  parts?" 

Next  day  the  two  hunters  decided  to  pack 
up  and  leave.  There  was,  no  doubt,  plenty 
of  game  in  the  locality,  but  they  had  rather 
more  of  the  Chinaman's  company  than  they 
desired ;  moreover,  their  hunger  having  been 
satisfied,  they  preferred  to  go  farther  on  into 
wilder  country. 

Akoun,  the  guide,  obliged  the  men  to 
pack  in  the  greatest  haste,  and  during  the 
process  he  exhibited  much  pleasure.  For, 
to  tell  the  truth,  Akoun  was  very  much 


282  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

afraid  of  their  neighbor.  Although  a  man 
of  remarkable  physical  strength,  he  was 
almost  entirely  devoid  of  moral  courage, 
and  the  expression  of  this  Chinaman's  face 
took  the  "backbone"  out  of  him  terribly. 

His  haste,  however,  profited  him  nothing ; 
for  Hakkouki  ordered  the  caravan  to  pass 
the  camp  of  their  neighbor,  who,  having 
been  informed  by  his  servants,  stood  wait- 
ing to  receive  them.  His  face  assumed  a 
pleasant  expression,  but  he  was  neverthe- 
less troubled.  When  Kishen  Singh  called 
good-by  without  stopping,  the  Chinaman  ran 
along  beside  him.  "  The  money,  the  money," 
he  demanded. 

"  What  money  ?  "    asked  Kishen  Singh. 

"  That  which  should  profit  me  more  if  I 
did  not  arrest  you." 

"  Oh,  that  wasn't  money.  See,"  and 
Kishen  Singh  showed  him  Hakkouki's  pass- 
port. 

It  was  merely  a  small  paper  with  a  few 
characters  in  Chinese,  unintelligible  to  Hak- 


THE   GRAND  LAMA.  283 

kouki.  But  it  was  effective.  The  man 
prostrated  himself  at  once,  and  the  caravan 
passed  on  unmolested. 

"Do  you  think  the  government  has  put 
restrictions  upon  the  hunting  of  the  deer?" 
asked  Hakkouki  later,  as  they  tramped 
along. 

"That  I  do  not  know,"  answered  Kishen 
Singh.  "  But  certainly  this  man  was  not 
here  for  that  purpose ;  moreover,  his  men 
hunted  the  deer.  So  long  as  musk  remains 
one  of  the  most  prized  perfumes,  and  com- 
mands an  almost  fabulous  price  in  the  Eu- 
ropean markets,  the  animal  will  be  hunted 
in  spite  of  all  restrictions,  though  probably, 
like  the  beaver  and  the  bird  of  paradise, 
its  entire  extermination  is  only  a  question 
of  years." 

"  The  pods  are  so  small  that  they  can  be 
easily  shipped  in  great  numbers,"  said  Hak- 
kouki, for  he  carried  the  one  which  had  been 
cut  from  the  deer  he  had  shot  in  his  pocket. 

"Yes,"  said  Kishen  Singh.      "More  than 


284  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN, 

fifty-three  thousand  deer  are  sacrificed  to  sup- 
ply the  Shanghai  export  trade  alone,  in  one 
year." 

"  It  is  said  that  several  attempts  have  been 
made  to  rear  the  musk-deer  in  captivity,  as 
was  tried  with  the  civet  in  Holland,"  said 
Hakkouki,  "  but  in  no  instance  has  the  at- 
tempt been  successful." 

"  Its  habits  are  altogether  opposed  to  do- 
mestication," said  Kishen  Singh.  "This  cli- 
mate, wild  life,  and  opportunity  for  long  runs 
and  climbing  cannot  be  reproduced  in  captive 
life.  The  animal  soon  goes  blind  and  dies. 
I  once  saw  one  which  had  been  caught  young, 
and  brought  home  by  a  hunter.  It  was  so 
tame  that  it  would  play  with  the  children  and 
their  dog.  The  dog  was  equally  fond  of  the 
deer,  and  it  was  amusing  to  see  him  attack 
any  stranger  who  presumed  to  touch  his  timid 
playmate.  The  usual  food  appears  to  be 
leaves  and  flowers,  although  the  natives  say 
that  they  eat  snakes.  These  children  fed  it 
on  bread  and  milk  and  leaves,  but  it  soon 


THE   GRAND  LAMA.  285 

went  blind  and  died,  and  apparently  suffered 
much  pain." 

"  How  old  do  you  think  the  deer  was  which 
I  shot?"  asked  Hakkouki. 

"  About  five  or  six  years.  It  was  in  the 
very  best  condition.  After  three  years  the 
pod  is  well  filled  with  musk,  but  it  increases 
later." 

At  the  end  of  a  week  they  reached  the  part 
of  the  country  for  which  they  had  set  out,  but 
at  the  base  of  the  mountain  which  it  was 
their  intention  to  climb,  they  came  upon  a 
small  village.  The  people  of  the  village  were 
exceedingly  troublesome,  mobbing  them  in 
regular  Chinese  fashion,  and  displaying  a  stub- 
born sort  of  insolence.  One  who  was  asked 
to  step  back  drew  a  sword  and  threatened 
to  use  it,  when  Akoun,  who  was  unarmed, 
promptly  struck  him  with  his  fist.  For  a  few 
moments  it  looked  as  if  there  were  going  to 
be  a  free  fight ;  stones  and  clods  of  earth  were 
thrown  at  the  coolies.  There  was  a  pause, 
however,  when  Kishen  Singh  and  Hakkouki 


286  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

unslung  their  rifles,  and  after  a  little  hesita- 
tion the  caravan  was  allowed  to  move  on  in 
peace. 

Though  the  headman  of  the  village  was 
present  all  the  time,  he  appeared  to  have  no 
influence  whatever,  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  his  intentions  were  of  the  best.  The 
headman  of  the  district  was  also  in  the  vil- 
lage, and  sent  a  scarf  of  welcome  and  an 
iron  vessel  full  of  chang  (a  sort  of  beer),  with 
an  apology  for  not  coming.  It  was  rather 
amusing  a  week  later,  when  the  caravan  came 
down  the  mountain,  in  passing  through  the 
village,  to  find  this  same  headman  soliciting 
a  signed  certificate,  stating  that  Hakkouki 
had  been  well  treated  in  the  district. 

During  the  week  upon  the  mountain,  they 
killed  a  stag  and  some  smaller  game,  while 
Hakkouki  added  eleven  musk  pods  to  his 
store. 

Having  heard  that  a  Grand  Lama  of  Thibet 
lived  within  four  days'  journey,  Hakkouki 
determined  to  visit  him.  By  this  time 


THE  GRAND  LAMA.  287 

Akoun  was  behaving  in  a  strange  manner, 
and  causing  much  annoyance  by  one  peculiar 
habit  which  he  had  of  hiding  things,  and 
some  time  after  producing  them  and  demand- 
ing a  reward. 

"It  seems  probable  that  we  shall  have 
more  serious  trouble  with  him  on  the  return 
journey  to  Sui  Fu,"  said  Hakkouki  one 
morning  to  Kishen  Singh. 

"  I  have  thought  of  that,"  answered 
Kishen  Singh.  "  I  think  the  visit  to  the 
Grand  Lama,  which  you  suggested  yesterday, 
may  do  him  good.  He  is  a  Buddhist." 

So  Hakkouki's  answer  to  the  headman's  re- 
quest for  a  certificate  was  that  he  had  yet  four 
days  longer  to  be  in  his  district,  and  upon 
reaching  the  boundary  he  should  give  him  a 
certificate  according  to  the  way  he  was  treated. 

When  entering  the  village  where  the 
Grand  Lama  lived  they  could  see  the  mon- 
astery, consisting  of  several  tents,  high  up 
on  the  hillside.  Many  Lamas  who  lived 
there  came  out  to  meet  them,  and  politely 


288  THE   GOLDEN  TALISMAN. 

asked  to  see  their  papers.  Being  satisfied 
with  the  ones  Kishen  Singh  showed  them, 
they  led  them  with  great  courtesy  toward 
the  large  tent  where  sat  the  Grand  Lama, 
a  man  of  intelligent  appearance,  and  quiet 
dignity.  Without  rising  he  offered  his 
hand  and  hoped  they  had  had  a  pleasant 
journey,  and  with  the  same  smiling  face  seen 
alike  on  Buddhas  of  statue  and  Buddhas  of 
flesh  and  blood,  he  bade  them  be  seated. 
They  placed  themselves,  Eastern  fashion,  to 
the  left  of  the  aperture  in  the  tent  and 
partook  of  tea  with  butter  in  it.  There 
was  nothing  in  the  abode  to  indicate  any 
attempt  at  luxury  or  cleanliness.  All  the 
furniture  seemed  to  be  equally  neglected; 
but  an  altar  had  been  raised  and  there  were 
some  sacred  images  enclosed  in  a  sort  of 
tabernacle  or  movable  chapel. 

After  a  short  time  a  great  noise  of  drums 
and  cymbals  was  heard  ;  and  this  being  a  call 
to  prayer,  Hakkouki  and  Kishen  Singh  took 
their  leave. 


THE   GRAND  LAMA.  289 

They  had  pitched  their  tents,  on  entering 
the  village,  about  ha]f  a  mile  below  the 
monastery.  Imagine  their  surprise,  then, 
when  they  returned  to  find  the  tents  gone. 

"  We  must  have  come  the  wrong  way," 
said  Hakkouki. 

"  Why,  surely  this  is  the  spot,"  answered 
Kishen  Singh. 

"  It  must  be,"  said  Hakkouki ;  "  for  you 
can  see  where  the  stakes  have  been  driven, 
and  also  how  the  ground  has  been  torn  up 
in  the  haste  of  packing." 

The  two  friends  looked  at  each  other  and 
actually  laughed.  What  could  be  said  ? 

"What  can  have  prompted  Akoun  to  do 
it?"  said  Hakkouki. 

"Fear,"  answered  Kishen  Singh.  "Cer- 
tainly he  has  lost  much  by  it,  for  the  goods 
he  has  taken  are  not  worth  the  wrages  he 
was  to  receive  when  we  returned  to  Sui  Fu, 
but  he  has  our  fur  coats." 

"But  he'll  have  no  need  of  them  in  Sui 
Fu,"  answered  Hakkouki. 


290  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

"  He  can  sell  them,"  suggested  Kishen 
Singh.  "  Was  there  any  money,  anything 
of  value,  in  your  pockets  ?  I  changed  my 
papers,  letter  of  credit,  and  passport,  into 
this  pocket,"  he  continued. 

Hakkouki  searched  his  own  pockets,  and 
his  face  fell.  "  My  passport ! "  he  gasped. 
"  It's  gone  !  " 

"Ah,  so  Akoun  will  pass  himself  through 
the  country  like  a  grandee,"  laughed  Kishen 
Singh.  "  So  it  was  pride  as  well  as  fear." 

Hakkouki  seated  himself  on  the  ground. 
u  Not  one  thing  do  I  possess  but  the  clothes 
I  wear,  and  my  eleven  musk  pods,"  he  said. 
"  I  must  apply  "to  the  Grand  Lama  for  help 
in  overtaking  this  rascal." 

And,  indeed,  this  kindly  man  did  prove  a 
friend.  After  a  long  discussion,  wherein 
Hakkouki  and  Kishen  Singh  told  him  of 
their  plans  and  wishes,  he  said :  "  Leave  it  all 
to  me.  I  will  see  that  the  fellow  is  quickly 
stopped  upon  the  road  and  justly  punished. 
But  as  you  are  both  anxious  to  get  to  Cal- 


THE    GRAND   LAMA.  291 

cutta  in  the  shortest  possible  time,  why  re- 
turn to  Sui  Fu?  We  are  not  far  from  the 
boundary  line  of  British  India.  Once  there, 
I  hear  they  have  ways  of  travel  much  more 
rapid  than  we  have.  You  have  only  to 
travel  directly  west." 

"  You  are  both  wise  and  right,"  answered 
Kislien  Singh.  "  The  country  of  Assam  in 
India  lies  directly  west  of  this.  We  shall 
be  safe  there." 

"  I  will  send  an  escort  with  you  to  the 
boundary,"  said  the  Lama. 

A  few  hours  later  Hakkouki  and  Kislien 
Singh,  with  much  gratitude,  bade  him  fare- 
well. Kishen  Singh  promised  prompt  ac- 
knowledgment as  soon  as  they  should  arrive 
in  a  city  where  his  letter  of  credit  would 
be  of  use,  for  these  Lamas  are  very  poor. 

Mounted  upon  mules,  to  facilitate  their 
speed,  they  set  forth;  the  smiling  wooden 
face  of  the  Grand  Lama  haunting  them  for 
many  a  day. 

They  had  anticipated  little  trouble  when 


292  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

once  in  India;  but  it  was  a  rough  country, 
very  little  opened  up,  and  they  rode  on  for 
many  miles  before  meeting  any  but  natives. 
The  escort  left  them  at  the  boundary,  but 
it  had  been  agreed  that  they  should  take 
two  mules  with  them  when  leaving  the  men. 
Having  no  maps  and  a  very  indefinite  idea 
of  the  country,  they  soon  realized  that  the 
provisions  which  they  carried  on  their  sad- 
dles must  be  used  very  sparingly. 

For  two  hundred  miles  they  did  not  en- 
counter a  Avhite  man.  At  last  they  unex- 
pectedly came  upon  a  tea  plantation,  and 
were  able  to  exchange  two  of  the  musk 
pods  for  small  money.  This  was  very  use- 
ful in  dealing  with  the  natives.  They  were 
also  guided  to  the  next  tea  plantation,  and 
there  were  entertained  by  a  very  agreeable 
Englishman,  who  was  as  pleased  to  see  them 
as  they  were  to  see  him,  for  he  had  been 
months  away  from  intelligent  human  be- 
ings. After  a  few  days'  rest  he  journeyed 
with  them  to  the  railroad,  and  there  bought 


THE   GRAND  LAMA.  293 

their  mules  to  enable  them  to  purchase 
tickets  to  Calcutta.  They  were  also  able 
to  learn  the  day  of  the  week,  and  by  the 
calendar  found  they  had  been  seven  months 
in  China.  Although  they  had  found  a  much 
shorter  road  from  the  musk  country  to  a 
seaport,  it  is  still  sent  by  the  arduous  over- 
land route  from  Yunnan  to  Shanghai,  a  dis- 
tance of  fourteen  hundred  miles.  And  no 
doubt  many  years  will  elapse  before  China 
will  be  brought  to  see  the  advantage  to  be 
gained  by  shipping  her  products  from  for- 
eign ports. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

WINNING   THE    PRINCESS. 

A  A7HEN  Hakkouki  arrived  at  Calcutta, 
*  he  realized  that  his  travels  were 
practically  at  an  end.  He  had  visited  the 
lands  wherein  the  most  important  and 
delightful  scents  were  produced,  —  he  had 
learned  how  to  care  for  the  plants  in  their 
growth,  and  knew  how  to  prepare  per- 
fumes from  them.  With  him  he  carried 
patchouli  cuttings,  sandal  and  kuskus  seeds, 
also  those  of  the  lily  from  which  ylang- 
ylang  is  obtained. 

While  in  Batavia  he  had  written  to  Cam- 
duatim  at  Scutari  asking  him  to  send  him 
cuttings  or  seeds  of  the  Bulgarian  rose,  the 
jasmine,  heliotrope,  violet,  mignonette,  lav- 
ender, and  other  flowers  of  Southern  France. 

294 


WINNING    THE  PRINCESS.  295 

He  was  much  gratified  to  find  the  package 
awaiting  him,  together  with  a  long  letter 
from  his  old  friend,  telling  of  his  intended 
return  to  Persia,  and  begging  him  to  join 
him  there.  But  Hakkouki  scarcely  realized 
the  ardor  of  the  old  man's  request  in  his 
impatience  to  reach  the  one  spot  on  earth 
where,  to  him,  the  sun  ever  shone  and 
life  was  constant  happiness. 

Hakkouki  had  also  in  his  possession  a 
few  vanilla  beans,  which  he  had  every 
reason  to  believe  would  grow  successfully 
in  Kamristan.  As  for  the  baser,  animal 
substances,  such  as  musk,  civet,  and  amber- 
gris, Hakkouki  decided  that  he  would  not 
introduce  them  into  his  beloved  country. 
To  that  land  without  perfumes,  he  would 
take  only  the  scents  of  herbs,  woods,  and 
flowers ;  those  which  to  his  mind  were 
wholesome,  natural,  and  alone  intended  to 
gratify  the  sense  of  smell. 

In  Calcutta  Hakkouki  ordered  clothing 
of  the  most  beautiful  and  regal  style.  He 


296  THE   GOLDEN   TALISMAN. 

had  the  garments  cut  after  the  manner  of 
those  which  he  had  worn  while  in  Kaffir- 
istan ;  for  he  wished  to  appear  before 
Drusa  looking  as  he  did  when  she  had  first 
bestowed  her  maiden  love  upon  him. 

During  his  long  separation  from  the 
Princess,  Hakkouki  had  changed  in  some 
ways.  His  travels  and  adventures  had 
brought  him  a  great  knowledge  of  men 
and  things ;  his  mind  had  become  broad- 
ened by  contact  with  them.  By  being 
thrown  upon  his  own  resources  he  had 
learned  self-reliance,  patience,  and  the  power 
to  do ;  and  because  of  a  high  ambition  and 
a  pure  mind  he  had  grown  much  in  manli- 
ness and  goodness. 

In  other  ways,  however,  he  had  not 
changed.  Through  all  his  wanderings  he 
had  carried  the  image  of  his  Princess  in  his 
heart,  and  her  spirit  had  been  his  life. 
Night  and  day  he  had  lived  as  completely 
in  her  spiritual  presence  as  he  had  lived  in 
her  actual  presence  while  at  her  court. 


WINNING    THE  PRINCESS.  297 

From  Calcutta  he  went  by  train  to  Cabul 
in  Afghanistan,  whence,  after  a  few  days' 
ride,  he  was  able  to  strike  the  trail  with 
which  he  was  already  familiar,  the  trail 
which  led  to  the  mountain  and  pass  into 
Kaffir  is  tan. 

Oh !  the  joy  which  thrilled  him  as  he 
travelled  that  road.  He  remembered  his 
enthusiasm  when,  with  his  dear  friend 
Bokhatan,  he  first  saw  it ;  then,  later,  his 
wild  exultation  when  he  passed  out  into 
the  world  to  win  honor,  fame,  and  the 
right  to  claim  the  fairest  maiden  of  all  the 
earth.  And  now,  success  having  crowned 
his  efforts,  he  rode  back  to  make  her  his 
bride,  with  triumph  shining  in  his  counte- 
nance and  love  reigning  in  his  heart. 

At  the  entrance  to  the  pass,  a  sentinel 
perched  upon  a  rocky  spur  recognized  the 
traveller  and  at  once  gave  the  welcome  cry  :  — 

"Hakkouki!" 

Lifting  his  trumpet,  he  blew  one  long  blast, 
which  was  taken  up  in  the  gorge  below,  and 


298  THE   GOLDEN    TALISMAN. 

passed  from  one  guard  to  another,  until  it 
reached  the  city,  and  the  ears  of  Drusa. 

'•  Hakkouki  has  returned ! "  was  the  cry 
that  went  throughout  the  kingdom.  Even 
the  everlasting  hills  took  up  the  joyful  note, 
and  echoed  it  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
plateau.  Men,  women,  and  children  ran  that 
they  might  welcome  this  man  who,  though 
of  the  outer  world,  had  become  their  bene- 
factor and  idol. 

With  the  guard  following  him,  Hakkouki 
rode  on  between  the  towering  walls  of  the 
pass.  He  went  slowly  in  order  that  the 
hurrying  people  might  keep  pace  with  him. 
All  along  the  route,  crowds  saluted  him  with 
cries  of  "Peace  be  with  thee,  Hakkouki! 
Joy  to  thee  and  thy  beautiful  Drusa ! " 

But  although  the  sounds  of  the  greetings 
fell  upon  Hakkouki's  ears  pleasantly,  and 
filled  him  with  exultation,  he  hardly  knew 
it,  for  his  heart  was  beating  wildly  at  the 
thought  of  meeting  his  beloved. 

At  last  he  reached  the  steps  of  the  palace 


WINNING    THE   PRINCESS.  299 

and  saw  her.  Beside  her  father,  in  a  robe  of 
golden  colored  silk,  she  stood,  like  a  radiant 
angel,  holding  out  her  arms  and  smiling  upon 
him.  Springing  from  the  saddle,  he  bounded 
up  the  steps,  and,  falling  upon  one  knee, 
kissed  his  adored  one's  hand. 

"Nay;  rise,  most  noble  Hakkouki ! "  said 
the  King.  "  We  are  happy  that  thou  hast 
returned  to  us  in  safety.  We  know  that  thou 
hast  not  come  back  without  having  fulfilled 
thy  mission  wisely  and  well.  All  honor  to 
thee,  and  all  praise." 

Hakkouki,  rising  to  his  full  height,  turned 
toward  the  cheering  populace.  As  he 
stretched  out  his  arms  and  raised  them  over 
his  head,  a  hush  fell  upon  the  multitude. 
Then,  in  tones  deep  and  sincere,  he  spoke  :  — 

"  My  people  !  Oh,  my  people !  My  heart 
has  yearned  for  you  during  these  years  of 
absence,  and  now  that  I  am  with  you  again, 
it  is  full  of  joy.  I  have  brought  back  knowl- 
edge and  a  new  delight  for  this,  my  country. 
Be  Allah's  all  the  praise!" 


IV.  A.    Wilde  Company,  Publishers. 


/I  RE  VOL  UTIONAR  Y  MAID.  A  Story  of  the  Mid- 
-/j£  die  Period  of  the  War  for  Independence.  BY  AMY  E.  BLAN- 

CHARD.       321  pp.       Cloth,  $1.50. 

The  stirring  times  in  and  around  New  York  following  the  pulling  down  of  the  statue 
of  George  the  Third  by  the  famous  "  Liberty  Boys,"  brings  to  the  surface  the  patriotism 
of  the  young  heroine  of  the  story.  This  act  of  the  New  York  patriots  obliged  Kitty 
I)e  Witt  to  decide  whether  she  would  be  a  Tory  or  a  Revolutionary  maid,  and  a  patriot 
good  and  true  she  became.  Her  many  and  various  experiences  are  very  interestingly 
pictured,  making  this  a  happy  companion  book  to  "  A  Girl  of  "76."  " 

CTHE  GOLDEN  TALISMAN.     BY  H.  PHELPS  WHIT- 

JL          MARSH.       300  pp.       Cloth,  $1. 50. 

The  narrative  is  based  upon  the  adventures  of  a  young  Persian  noble,  who,  being 
forced  to  leave  his  own  country,  leads  an  army  against  the  mysterious  mountain  kingdom 
f  Kaffirias.     Though  defeated  and  taken  prisoner  by  the  enemy,  the  hero's  talisman 


saves  his  life  and,  later,  leads  him  into  kingly  favor. 

arding  the 
which  furnish  the  world  with  perfume  is  happily  interwoven  into  the  story. 


,  ,  . 

A  valuable  fund  of  information  regarding  the  various  plants,  woods,  and 


TI/HEAT  AND    HUCKLEBERRIES;    Dr.  North- 
rr         morels  Daughters.      BY    CHARLOTTE    M.    VAILE.     325    pp. 
Cloth,  $1.50. 

Mrs.  Vaile  has  drawn  the  characters  for  her  new  book  from  the  Middle  West.  But 
as  the  two  girls  spent  their  summer  at  their  grandfather's  in  New  England,  a  capital 
groundwork  is  furnished  for  giving  the  local  color  of  both  sections  of  the  country. 
The  story  is  bright  and  spirited  and  the  two  girls  are  sure  to  find  their  place  among  the 
favorite  characters  in  fiction.  All  those  who  have  read  the  Orcutt  stories  will  welcome 
this  new  book  by  Mrs.  Vaile. 

'ITH  PERR  Y  ON  LAKE  ERIE.    A  Tale  of  1812. 
BY  JAMES  OTIS.     325  pp.     Cloth,  $1.50. 

The  story  carries  the  reader  from  March  until  October  of  1813,  being  laid  on  Lake 
Erie,  detailing  the  work  of  the  gallant  Perry,  who  at  the  time  of  his  famous  naval  victory 
was  but  twenty-seven  years  of  age.  From  the  time  the  keels  of  the  vessels  which  be- 
came famous  were  laid  until  the  victory  was  won  which  made  Perry's  name  imperish- 
able, the  reader  is  kept  in  close  touch  with  all  that  concerned  Perry,  and  not  only  the 
main  facts  but  the  minor  details  of  the  story  are  historically  correct. 
Just  the  kind  of  historical  story  that  young  people  —  boys  especially  —  are  intensely 


B 


ARBARA'S  HERITAGE;  or,  Yottng  Americans 
Among  the  Old  Italian  Masters.  BY  D.  L.  HOYT.  325  pp. 
Cloth,  $1.50. 

We  welcome  a  book  from  the  pen  of  Miss  Hoyt,  whose  foreign  travel  and  study 
has  made  possible  an  exceedingly  interesting  story,  into  which  has  been  interwoven 
much  instructive  and  valuable  information. 

With  a  desire  to  broaden  the  education  of  her  son  and  daughter  by  the  opportunities 
afforded  in  foreign  travel,  an  American  mother  takes  them  to  Italy,  and  the  author  in  a 
very  happy  strain  has  given  us  their  many  experiences.  Replete  with  numerous  illus- 
trations and  half-tones,  it  makes  a  handsome  and  attractive  volume. 

W.  A.    Wilde  Company,  Boston  and  Chicago. 

\ 


W.  A.    Wilde  Company,  Publishers. 


CT'HE  QUEEN'S  RANGERS.     BY  CHARLES  LED  YARD 

J.      NORTON.    352  pp.     Cloth,  $1.50. 

The  thrilling  period  during  the  last  years  of  our  struggle  for  independence  forms  the 
groundwork  for  Colonel  Norton's  latest  work. 

The  intense  patriotism  which  prompted  our  young  men  to  do  and  dare  anything  for 
their  country  is  shown  in  the  exploits  of  the  three  young  heroes. 

By  enlisting  for  a  time  beneath  His  Majesty's  flag  they  were  able  to  give  much  valu- 
able information  to  the  colonial  cause. 

With  historical  truth  the  author  in  this,  his  latest  book,  has  happily  coupled  an  ex- 
ceedingly interesting  and  instructive  story. 

rHE  ROMANCE  OF  CONQUEST.  The  Story  of 
American  Expansion  through  Arms  and  Diplomacy.  BY  WIL- 
LIAM E.  GRIFFIS.  298pp.  Cloth,  $1.50. 

In  concise  form  it  is  the  story  of  American  expansion  from  the  birth  of  the  nation  to 
the  present  day. 

The  reader  will  find  details  of  every  war.  Anecdote  enlivens  the  story  from  July  4, 
1776,  down  to  the  days  of  Dewey,  Sampson,  and  Schley,  and  of  Miles,  Merritt,  Shaffer, 
and  Otis.  It  is  a  book  as  full  of  rapid  movement  as  a  novel. 


JI7HEN BOSTON BRA  VED  THE  KING.     A  Story 
rr        of   Tea-Party  Times.     BY  W.  E.  BARTON,  D.   D.     314  pp. 

Cloth,  $1.50. 

One  of  the  most  absorbing  stories  ot  the  Colonial-Revolutionary  period  published. 
The  author  is  perfectly  at  home  with  his  subject,  and  the  story  will  be  one  of  the  popu- 
lar books  of  the  year. 

"  Though  largely  a  story  of  boys  and  for  boys.it  has  the  liveliest  interest  for  all 
classes  of  readers,  and  makes  a  strong  addition  to  Dr.  Barton's  already  notable  series 
of  historical  tales." —  Christian  Endeavor  World. 

"  It  is  a  pleasure  to  read  and  to  recommend  such  a  book  as  this.  In  fact,  we  must 
say  at  the  very  beginning,  that  Dr.  Barton  is  becoming  one  of  the  most  skilful  and  enjoy- 
able of  American  story-tellers." — Boston  Journal. 

flADET  STAND  ISH  OF  THE  ST.  L  O  UIS.     A  Story 
W     of  Our    Naval    Campaign  .in    Cuban    Waters.     BY  WILLIAM 
DRYSDALE.     352pp.     Cloth,  $1.50. 

A  strong,  stirring  story  of  brave  deeds  bravely  done.  A  vivid  picture  of  one  of  the 
most  interesting  and  eventful  periods  of  the  late  Spanish  War. 

"  It  is  what  the  boys  are  likely  to  call  '  a  rattling  good  story.'  "  —  Cleveland  Plain 
Dealer. 

"  Mr.  Drysdale  has  drawn  an  effective  picture  of  the  recent  war  with  Spain  in  his  new 
book.  The  story  is  full  of  dash  and  fire  without  being  too  sensational."  —  Congre- 
gationalist. 

DAUGHTER  OF  THE   WEST.     The  Story  of  an 
American  Princess.     BY  EVELYN  RAYMOND.     347  pp.     Cloth, 


Interesting,  wholesome,  and  admirable  in  every  way  is  Mrs.  Raymond's  latest  story 
for  girls.  Descriptions  of  California  life  are  one  of  the  fascinations  of  the  book. 

"  A  well-written  story  of  Western  life  and  adventure,  which  has  for  its  heroine  a 
brave,  high-minded  girl."—  Chronicle  Telegraph,  1'ittsbiirg. 

"  Laid  among  the  broad  valleys  and  lofty  mountains  of  California  every  chapter  is 
crowded  full  of  most  interesting  experiences."—  Christian  Endeavor  World. 


IV.  A.    Wilde  Company,  Boston  and  Chicago. 
ii 


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War  of  the  Revolution  Series. 

By  Everett  T.  Tomlinson. 

<nrHREE  COLONIAL  BOYS.     A  Story  of  the  Times 
-Z       of '76.     368pp.     Cloth,  $1.50. 

It  is  a  story  of  three  hoys  who  were  drawn  into  the  events  of  the  times,  is  patriotic, 
exciting,  clean,  and  healthful,  and  instructs  without  appearing  to.  The  heroes  are 
manly  boys,  and  no  objectionable  language  or  character  is  introduced.  The  lessons  of 
courage  and  patriotism  especially  will  be  appreciated  in  this  day.  — Boston  Transcript. 

CfHREE   YOUNG  CONTINENTALS.     A    Story   of 
-/        the  American  Revolution.     364  pp.     Cloth,  $1.50. 

This  story  is  historically  true.  It  is  the  best  kind  of  a  story  either  for  boys  or  girls, 
and  is  an  attractive  method  of  teaching  history. — Journal  of  Education,  Boston. 

TTfASmNGTON'S  YOUNG  AIDS.     A  Story  of  the 
rr         New  Jersey  Campaign,  1776-1777.     391  pp.     Cloth,  $1.50. 

The  book  has  enough  history  and  description  to  give  value  to  the  story  which  ought 
to  captivate  enterprising  boys.  —Quarterly  Book  Review. 

The  historical  details  of  the  story  are  taken  from  old  records.  These  include 
accounts  of  the  life  on  the  prison  ships  and  prison  houses  of  New  York,  the  raids  of  the 
pine  robbers,  the  tempting  of  the  Hessians,  the  end  of  Fagan  and  his  band,  etc. — 
Publisher's  Weekly. 

Few  boys'  stories  of  this  class  show  so  close  a  study  of  history  combined  with  such 
genial  story-telling  power.  —  The  Outlook. 

rWO    \OUNG  PATRIOTS.     A  Story  of  Burgoyne's 
Invasion.     366pp.     Cloth,  $1.50. 

The  crucial  campaign  in  the  American  struggle  for  independence  came  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1777,  when  Gen.  John  Burgoyne  marched  from  Canada  to  cut  the  rebellious 
colonies  asunder  and  join  another  British  army  which  was  to  proceed  up  the  valley  of 
the  Hudson.  The  American  forces  were  brave,  hard  fighters,  and  they  worried  and 
harassed  the  British  and  finally  defeated  them.  The  history  of  this  campaign  is  one 
of  great  interest  and  is  well  brought  out  in  the  part  which  the  "  two  young  patriots" 
took  in  the  events  which  led  up  to  the  surrender  of  General  Burgoyne  and  his  army. 

The  set  of  four  volumes  in  a  box,  $6.00. 


SUCCESS.      BY   ORISON    SWETT    MARDEN.     Author   of 
O      "Pushing  to  the   Front,"     "Architects  of  Fate,"  etc.     317  pp. 

Cloth,  £1.25. 

It  is  doubtful  whether  any  success  books  for  the  young  have  appeared  in  modern 
times  which  are  so  thoroughly  packed  from  lid  to  lid  with  stimulating,  uplifting,  and  in- 
spiring material  as  the  self-help  books  written  by  Orison  Swett  Marden.  There  is  not  a 
dry  paragraph  nor  a  single  line  of  useless  moralizing  in  any  of  his  books. 

To  stimulate,  inspire,  and  guide  is  the  mission  of  his  latest  book,  "Success,"  and 
helpfulness  is  its  keynote.  Its  object  is  to  spur  the  perplexed  youth  to  act  the  Columbus 
to  his  own  undiscovered  possibilities  ;  to  urge  him  not  to  wait  for  great  opportunities, 
but  to  seize  common  occasions  and  make  them  great,  for  he  cannot  tell  when  fate  may 
take  his  measure  for  a  higher  place. 

IV.  A.    Wilde  Company,  Boston  and  Chicago. 
iii 


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Brain  and  Brawn  Series. 

By  William  Drysdale. 

rHE   YOUNG  REPORTER.     A    Story   of   Printing 
House  Square.     300  pp.     Cloth,  $1.50. 

I  commend  the  book  unreservedly.  —  Golden  Rule. 

"  The  Young  Reporter  "  is  a  rattling  book  for  boys.  — New  York  Recorder. 

The  best  boys'  book  I  ever  read.  —  Mr.  Phillies,  Critic  far  New  York  Times. 

rHE  FAST  MAIL.     A  Story  of  a  Train  Boy.    328  pp. 
Cloth,  $1.50. 

"  The  Fast  Mail "  is  one  of  the  very  best  American  books  for  boys  brought  out  this 
season.  Perhaps  there  could  be  no  better  confirmation  of  this  assertion  than  the  fact 
that  the  little  sons  of  the  present  writer  have  greedily  devoured  the  contents  of  the  vol- 
ume, and  are  anxious  to  know  how  soon  they  are  to  get  a  sequel.  —  The  Art  Amateur, 
Neu,  York. 

CT'HE  BEACH  PATROL.     A  Story  of  the  Life-Saving 
J.       Service.     318  pp.     Cloth,  #1.50. 

The  style  of  narrative  is  excellent,  the  lesson  inculcated  of  the  best,  and,  above  all, 
the  boys  and  girls  are  real.  —  New  York  Times. 

A  book  of  adventure  and  daring,  which  should  delight  as  well  as  stimulate  to  higher 
ideals  of  life  every  boy  who  is  so  happy  as  to  possess  it.  —  Examiner. 

It  is  a  strong  book  for  boys  and  young  men.  —  Buffalo  Commercial. 

rHE    YOUNG    SUPERCARGO.      A   Story   of   the 
Merchant  Marine.     352  pp.     Cloth,  $1.50. 

Kit  Silburn  is  a  real  "  Brain  and  Brawn  "  boy,  full  of  sense  and  grit  and  sound 
good  qualities.  Determined  to  make  his  way  in  life,  and  with  no  influential  friends  to 
give  him  a  start,  he  does  a  deal  of  hard  work  between  the  evening  when  he  first  meets 
the  stanch  Captain  Griffith,  and  the  proud  day  when  he  becomes  purser  of  a  great 
ocean  steamship.  His  sea  adventures  are  mostly  on  shore;  but  whether  he  is  cleaning 
the  cabin  of  the  North  Cape,  or  landing  cargo  in  Yucatan,  or  hurrying  the  spongers 
and  fruitmen  of  Nassau,  or  exploring  London,  or  sight  seeing  with  a  disguised  prince 
in  Marseilles,  he  is  always  the  same  busy,  thoroughgoing,  manly  Kit.  Whether  or  nol 
he  has  a  father  alive  is  a  question  of  deep  interest  throughout  the  story  ;  but  that  he 
has  a  loving  and  loyal  sister  is  plain  from  the  start. 

The  set  of  four  volumes  in  a  box,  $6.00. 


&ERAPH,    THE   LITTLE    VIOLINISTE.     BY  MRS. 
O     C.  V.  JAMIESON.    300  pp.    Cloth,  fi. 50. 

The  scene  of  the  story  is  the  French  quarter  of  New  Orleans,  and  charming  bits  of 
local  color  add  to  its  attractiveness.  —  The  Bostonjmtrnal. 

Perhaps  the  most  charming  story  she  has  ever  written  is  that  which  describes  Seraph, 
the  little  violiniste.  —  Transcript,  Boston. 

W.  A.    Wilde  Company,  Boston  and  Chicago. 
It 


A    000  031  622    4 


